


Crystal Facets

by Panakot



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Trolls (2016), Trolls World Tour (2020)
Genre: Gen, Knifehappypsycho helped me with this, Takes place on Stevens world, Which means Mountain standard time apparently, Will upload every second day between 12 and 1 MST, will tag more characters as they come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 51,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24902896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panakot/pseuds/Panakot
Summary: Steven Quartz Universe want's to be a Crystal Gem, but he's got some big flip flops to fill if he ever hopes to live up to his mothers legacy. Perhaps with the help of some pocket sized friends, he'll be able to reach his full potential?Meanwhile, the Trolls work together to help Steven overcome hurdles, while trying their best to keep out of sight. They have a feeling this boy is the key to getting home... or so they hope.
Comments: 97
Kudos: 138





	1. Steven

Steven Quarts Universe was a normal child, who lived in a small coastline town named Beach city. Or at least, Steven thought he was a pretty normal kid. He liked to play with his action figures, collected GUYS and GALS, ate Chaaaaaps, enjoyed the occasional doughnut, all the normal kid stuff.

Sure, he had a dad that lived in a van, three gem stone alien sort-of moms he lived with in a temple on the beach, had a large, pink gemstone in his stomach, and was sort of half alien? But other than that, he was perfectly normal!

And today, he was going to be heading on a trip with his dad! 

His dad was Greg Universe, a former rock star who in his eyes had never lost his magic. Ever since he was little Greg had raised Steven with a strong love for music. They would sit together for hours composing new songs and lyrics, Greg using his Guitar while Steven played his Ukulele. 

Steven sat on the bumper of the van, laying on his back and staring at the roof of the van. He strummed absently on his Ukulele, thinking back to the day before. Greg had decided on an impromptu trip to the countryside to cheer Steven up, who was bummed out after the incident last week.

Honestly, he was still frustrated about it all! First, he learned that cookie cat was gone! Well, at least they stopped making them. The gems had been so nice though, and had gone out to get him a whole bunch! When he had taken a bite of one, he’d been so happy! Despite the cold ice cream in his mouth at the time, he’d felt so warm, right down to his belly!

Which, as it had turned out, was actually his gem activating. He panicked, trying to summon his weapon like the other gems could. 

Garnet, the leader of the Crystal gems, had two Gauntlets she could summon at will, Pearl had a spear, and Amethyst had a crystal studded whip. The gems had tried their best to help him summon his weapon, but with all the different ways of doing it, he felt so lost.

Eventually, he tried to do it in a very Steven-y way. He tried to re-create what had first caused his gem to glow, right down to singing the cookie cat theme song again. When it didn’t work, he had just assumed that maybe; he wouldn’t have a weapon of his own? 

As upset as that thought made him, he decided there wasn’t much use dwelling on it. He decided to just enjoy the company of his friends, and the company of his cookie cats! As he let himself calm down, and just enjoy the moment, his gem activated again, the light casting from it forming a sparkling shield.

He had been so overjoyed with the discovery of his own Crystal gem weapon, he had accidentally launched it across the room, watching as it rebounded off of several items, walls, and beams, leaving dents or destroying whatever it hit, including its final destination, his T.V.!

He hadn’t really cared about the telly at the time though, he had more pressing concerns! He was a Crystal gem, and he needed to help the other gems! When later that day, the queen Centipeetle had shown itself, he had done his best to pitch in, especially when the gems ended up pinned under a rain of corrosive acid. 

He leapt into the fray, a cookie cat freezer he received as a gift from Sadie and Lars strung across his back, plugged in via extension cords and stuffed to bursting with his power-up cookie cats. He had eaten so many, expecting the ice-cream to activate his gem as it had twice before, but it hadn’t worked as he had expected. 

He had inevitably thrown the freezer at the Gem monster, poofing it at last. After the dust of the fearsome battle had ended, he mourned the loss of his cookie cats… and his lunch soon after.

He had since tried several times to call on his new shield, but no matter what he tried, it just seemed like it wasn’t going to happen. Hence the funk he was in now. His dad and the gems had talked it over, and decided that Steven needed something non gem related to cheer him up. 

And so, here he was, sitting in the back of his dad’s van as they packed the last of their supplies. “So dad, where are we going anyway?”

Greg flashed a grin. “We’re going to the next state over! There’s a really nice camp ground there on a lake. I even packed fishing rods!”

Greg was far from a rich man, but he did what he could to make sure Steven had food and clothes, and helped with the human aspects of raising him. That, of course, only took him so far, but he was perfectly content letting his son chose his own path.

As such, while they may not be making their way to a pay-to-camp site, they were definitely going camping!

Once everything was ready to go, the two got comfortable in the front seats, picked the perfect road-trip music, and were on their way!

As Greg drove, he felt his heart warm when Steven would sing songs he had written and produced himself. While he could admit nowadays that his songs had never been hits, he enjoyed his time making them. It was how he had met Steven’s mother, Rose Quartz, a rebel form an alien race that never grew old. She had fought to protect the earth from her own kind for centuries before Greg had met her and the other Crystal gems.

Steven knew bit and pieces of the story. Enough to know his mom was a great person. Super strong, super smart, and super kind! Not to mention pretty, as he often thought staring up at the framed photo that hung over the front door to the beach house. 

He had always considered dying his hair to match hers. He wondered if the gems and his dad would like that.

Steven found himself staring out the window, munching on a doughnut they had picked up at a drive-through in the last town they passed. It was now trees and forests as far as he could see, which only became thicker as his dad turned onto a side road. He could feel his teeth rattling in his skull as they drove over the rough, unpaved and barely visible trail.

It wasn’t too long after that (thank the stars!) that they arrived at a beautiful blue lake, with a small sandy inlet. The moment the van stopped, Steven leapt out and ran for the water, laughing as he kicked off his sandals and charged into the water.

It was shockingly cold at first, but his body quickly adjusted. He dove in; looking at the lakebed to see what might be there. 

Below the surface was such a different world to that above, and it was one he loved to explore. Here, he could see things in this small lake he couldn’t see in the ocean outside his home. There was no coral, and very few seashells, but there was plenty of greenery. He could see seaweed forests, with small fish darting in and out of the fronds. 

He blinked a bit as a little fish swam up to him, giving him what he could only describe as a curious look. He grinned, waving to the small fish before it darted away again. 

He pushed himself off the lakebed and up to the surface, taking in a gasping breath once he broke the surface. He looked over to find his dad struggling with a lounge chair he had gotten from someone on the internet. “Dad, do you need some help?”

Greg perked up a bit, and stood straight, cracking his back with an audible pop. “Hmm? No, I got this Schtu-ball! You just have fun. But if you really want to help, maybe you could gather up some firewood? Those sausages I picked up won’t cook themselves!”

Steven gave a smart salute and nodded, wading out of the water to collect his sandals. “Sure thing, dad!” He ran over to the van, grabbed a backpack and emptied it haphazardly into the van and slung it onto his back. And with that, he skipped happily off into the brush, hoping to find plenty of twigs and sticks he could carry.

As he explored the woods surrounding their chosen camp sight, Steven started to notice that there were a few strange things lying about. Stuff that didn’t seem normal to find in the middle of nowhere. As he followed the trail of strange objects, he began to see something that chilled his stomach, though he couldn’t really understand why. There looked to be scattered bits of rocks all over the place, or were they crystals? 

As he stepped gingerly over the shining stones and crystals, he eventually found a small clearing, where the trees canopy let only thin beams of light through. He placed a hand absent mindedly over his gem, feeling it warm from within as he looked into the clearing. “Is that… a warp pad?” 

Indeed it was. In the middle of the clearing, refracting light and casting the world in spots of rainbow, sat a cracked and broken warp pad. He had never seen one all shattered as this one was. He stepped forward, his flip flops and the crunching of dirt beneath his feet was all that could be heard. No birds chirped, no bugs buzzed, but he was too focused on the broken warp than on his surroundings.

He stepped up onto the crystal pedestal, looking down at the milky white gemstone beneath him. He could feel the warmth in his own gem grow a bit, pulsing under his fingers. Was this what it felt like? To activate a warp? 

He had no idea how to work the warp pad though, it was something the gems had yet to teach him, though he wasn’t sure he could use one anyway. He jolted slightly as he watched light quickly gathering in the Warp, and felt dread seep into him. He made to leap off the warp, but it was too late.

Light burst forward in all directions, rather than the concentrated beam he was used to. It hit him with physical force, throwing him back into a tree. As his head hit the trunk, he found himself suddenly unable to keep his eyes open. He slumped down, the world fading to black.


	2. Trolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trolls are small, friendly creatures with music in their souls and a pep in their step. Across the land there were six major tribes; Pop, Techno, Funk, Country, Classical, and Rock. Each tribe has it's own leaders, but thanks to their ancestors, they have no connection to one another. Until one day, when mysterious crystals through out the land flared with bright light, transporting 8 trolls across the cosmos, trapping them in a world very different from our own.

Poppy, the princess of the trolls that lived in Troll village, hummed a chipper tune as she skipped through the village, greeting any troll she passed. She could feel the heavy crystal necklace her father had given her thumping against her chest, reminding her constantly of her station in the village. She’d always been known for a bright smile and a carefree attitude, and she prided herself on that. After all, trolls just loved to have fun!

Well, most trolls anyway. She was on her way to visit the only troll in the village who just seemed to refuse to be happy. Branch had always been the odd one out ever since she could remember, and while most trolls her own age simply tried to work around his bummer attitude, the elders in her village always gave Branch a sad look when he wasn’t looking.

She had tried to ask the older trolls what his story was, but they said they wouldn't speak of it without Branch's permission, and so none of the younger trolls knew either. So she had hatched a plan, go straight to the source! She’d been trying for years now to include Branch in her parties, or at least get him out of his bunker for more than foraging.

Poppy came to a stop in front of a large boulder with a ‘welcome’ mat in front that said “Go away”. She sighed and rolled her eyes, smiling a bit. “I gotta get him a new mat, one that actually IS welcoming!”

“I don’t want a mat, Poppy. That one works just fine, for Trolls who care about what it says anyway.” She turned around to see Branch stepping out from the surrounding plantlife. She grinned and bounced over to him.

“Branch! Long-time no see! So you know how tomorrow is the BIG 20 year anniversary of our escape from the Bergens?” She didn’t see his small wince, continuing on as she dug a card out of her back pocket. “Well, I’m throwing the biggest party ever! And I want YOU to be there!”

He gave her a look she didn’t often see on other trolls, but she’d come to learn that on him, it was sort of like he stepped in a mud puddle. “Poppy, you know I don’t party. Besides, that’s way too dangerous! Your parties are already way too loud, you’re going to draw the Bergens right to us!” His ears twitched slightly in his anxiety.

She sighed, shaking her head. “Branch don’t be so uptight! Learn to relax a little, alright? We haven’t seen a Bergen in 20 years, we’ll be fine! There’s no way they’ll find us!”

“No, they won’t find me, because I’ll be in my Bergen proof survival Bunker. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some preparations to make.” He moved to step past her to get to his Bunker door, but she stepped out to block his path, holding an invite out to him.

“Come on Branch, at least consider? Maybe you can help with planning; I’ll even let you make it safer!” She smiled hopefully, watching as he looked to the side, deep in thought.

A moment later, he snatched the card out of her hand, stuffing it into his pocket with a surprisingly gentle movement. “Alright, alright. I’ll help you make the Party safer, if only to keep a Bergen from coming.” He continued past her, and stood on his go away mat. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m busy.” He stepped on a hidden button, and began to descend into the Bunker below.

She ran forward, leaning over the hole and yelling down to him. “Meet me at the pond outside of town! In an hour!” And with that, she ran off.

Branch stared up at the ever shrinking opening, watching as Poppy’s face disappeared again. As the entrance slid shut, he sighed, returning his focus to the task at hand, which would need to be getting ready for the party… One he would make sure was safe for the other trolls.

He pulled the card Poppy had given him gently out of his pocket, and flipped it open. He wasn’t surprised to be greeted with a small cut out of himself, barely managing to dodge the spray of glitter. He groaned, rolling his eyes as he stared at the pile of glitter on his lift. “Great… that stuffs so hard to get out…”

As his lift lurched to a stop, he stepped off and made his way into a weapons storage room. He had spent years whittling spears in his free time, just in case they ever needed to defend themselves. He hefted one of the most recent ones, checking the point before setting it back down. “I should get some trolls to patrol the party… an advance watch in case anything shows up.”

He looked over towards the lift again. It was true that he liked his privacy, but he always found himself bending backwards for Poppy… He found her optimism infuriating, and yet his heart melted for her whenever she asked something of him.

He still hated parties though.

He groaned, rubbing at his temples as his ears drooped. For now, he had best get the essentials together and meet Poppy at the pond.

He had a feeling this was going to be a very, very long day.

As Poppy made her way back through the village, she let her mind wander to the party scheduled for later today. She had managed to convince Branch to come! Even if it was just for the planning stage. She still considered it a victory!

“Poppy? What are you up to; I thought you were planning that big party?”

She jumped a bit, turning to find Cooper stepping up behind her, grinning widely. She smiled and clapped her hands together. “Yup! I am, I’m meeting Branch by the pond to talk about it!”

Cooper’s ears perked up at that, a look of genuine shock painting his features. “Branch? You sure you wanna invite that party pooper to poop on your party?”

With a nod, she turned to continue her trek, knowing Cooper would follow along. “Yep, I think everyone deserves to be happy Coop! And I’m determined to make Branch happy!”

He hummed softly, glancing down at the princess. “Well yeah, everyone deserves to be happy, but Branch is… He’s got something parties aren’t good for, I think.”

She tilted her head slightly, tapping at her cheek as she thought over what Cooper had said. She always found herself listening to his advice on other trolls, as he somehow always got an accurate read on them. Of course, that included Branch. “So what should we do then, Coop? I don’t like thinking there’s a sad troll that I couldn’t help…”

He ran ahead slightly, passing Poppy and looking back towards her. “I think we should meet him at the pond! C’mon, Poppy, let’s hurry! He’s probably already there!”

She perked up at that, and ran to follow. There was no WAY Branch was already at the pond, it was clear across the village and she’d gotten a head start on him! As they approached the edge of town, she did in fact see a familiar grey troll standing by the water. “HOW?! I left ahead of you, how did you get here first?!” She skidded to a stop in front of him, panting to catch her breath.

Branch shrugged slightly, and she knew that meant he wouldn’t say. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She hated when he dodged a question like that! She tubbed at her crystal necklace slightly, something she did when she got frustrated.

She winced a bit as she felt heat emanating from the stone, and looked down to find it glowing. “What in the…”

Cooper’s ears perked up, and he leaned in a little closer. “This doesn’t look good…”

Branch stepped forward, examining the crystal shard. “Poppy, does it usually do that?”

She shook her head, removing the necklace and holding it in her open palm. “No, never… Dad said it’s been in the family forever, passed to the youngest royal, but… it’s never done THIS before!”

They all let out cries of distress as the light from the stone seemed to explode outwards, enveloping the three. Their world was bathed in light, before everything went dark.

The bright flash in Pop troll village wasn’t the only one in the troll’s kingdom. Five other flashes took place in five different territories.

………………………..

In techno reef, young King Trollex, only 17, swam through his empty home, the LED Palace, hidden deep within the ocean from other troll tribes. He had been king for barely two years, and had thankfully gotten plenty of aid from the other Techno trolls.

He had just become more confident in his abilities as a king when things turned south.

Trollex swam towards the royal armoury, where his father used to keep what few weapons the royals owned. A few swords, made from sharpened and pressed shale. A couple spears made from shells, and a trident that had been passed down from the first ancestor.

He found himself in this room often after the original incident that took his parents from him, but lately he’d started to avoid coming. It made him feel cold when he thought of how his dad had wanted to take a weapon, but didn’t at his behest.

He stopped in front of the ancient trident, staring at the milky white crystal embedded at the connection point for the three prongs. Something about the trident spoke to him of distant worlds. He always assumed it was because this weapon had been around since before the strings. Before the conflict that separated all trolls, and drove the Techno trolls deep into the sea.

He had heard stories from his mom and dad about other trolls on the surface, but had never seen any for himself. He had been told they had strange music, strange dancing, and looked very different from Techno trolls.

He had always wanted to meet a troll from the surface, convinced that if they really were still trolls, they could get along.

He blinked in surprise when he realized that a white glow had started to fill the room, coming from the trident. As he floated a little closer, he suddenly felt as though approaching was a bad idea. He didn’t even get a moment to think it through before a blinding flash burst from the crystal, engulfing him within the light.

……………………………

In Vibe city, Prince Darnell, less formally Prince D., was working on a new beat to show his parents. He was celebrating his 18th birthday today, and had received a new ring for his hair as a gift. The new ring had a small white crystal embedded within, which his dad had told him was passed from one royal to another through the years.

He hummed a melody as he walked through the city, greeting the Funk trolls he passed. He loved how bright and colorful his city was, but he always did his best thinking in the gardens, which were his destination.

As he stepped through the gate, he found the park rather deserted today. He supposed that wasn’t too surprising, as everyone else was getting ready for the big birthday bash his parents had planned. Every year his parents would write and sing new songs for the tribe, celebrating his accomplishments through the year.

Of course, these days were often a bit cold for D. When he was still young, practically still a hatchling, his parents were almost always gone, searching for the second egg they lost. Prince D. had always felt like he was missing something, even when he was young. When he learned it was a twin brother he had lost, before even meeting him, he’d cried for days.

Now, he just hoped that if his brother had survived, that he was alright. Despite his hopes, he knew that even if his twin was still alive, they most likely would never get the chance to meet. His parents had never given up the search, not completely, but they realized they had to focus on the son they had, not the one they lost.

He found a quiet space under a tree, tucked his legs into his fluffy body, and rest his head against the tree, letting himself relax as he closed his eyes. He listened to the birds chirping, and the wings of bees buzzing as they came to check him out.

As he slowly dozed off, enjoying the sun pouring in from the skylight, when he felt warmth emanating in front of his face. When he cracked his eyes open to get a look, he winced at the blinding light that shone in his eyes. He lifted his head, blinking his eyes slowly.

It was then he realized the stone on the ring his dad had given him was the source of the light. He slipped it out of his hair, and held it in his palm. “Well, that doesn’t seem normal…” He nearly dropped the item when it gave a bright burst of light, bathing his world in white.

………………………

In Lonesome Flats, the sheriff Delta Dawn was busying herself with repairs on the roof of the local tavern. The night before a dust storm had ripped a thorn from the cacti that stood as sentinels of her town, and launched it through the roof of the tavern.

She sighed, wiping the sweat off as she finished at last. She stood, and made her way towards the edge of the roof. She glanced over the edge, and saw the hay bales she had used to jump up in the first place, using them to descend safely once more.

Once her hooves were back on solid ground, she stretched out a bit, listening to small pops and cracks sounding through her body. “Oof, hammerin’ on a hot day ain’t easy on the joints.”

She needed a cold drink and a bite to eat before she planned to do anymore work, after all, it had taken all morning to get the thorn out and patch the roof. As she made her way back to her home, she adjusted the Bolo tie she wore.

It had been a gift from her old Pa, and she loved it. It was a simple fair, with a polished white stone set in the center of a golden clasp. She didn’t wear it as often as she’d like, but her usual chores were too dirty or labour intensive to risk something so precious.

It just so happened that she had to meet with her sister today for an egg shower. As soon as she recalled that, she couldn’t help but grin. Her sister, Aloe, had an egg due to hatch within the next couple of days, and she was absolutely not missing that for anything!

She was nearly prancing towards her sister’s home, but paused when she saw a glow begin to emanate from her bolo tie. She darted into a nearby alley, and loosened the tie enough to see the crystal. “What in tarnation…?”

She tapped the milky crystal at the center of the tie, but let out a distressed cry and reared backwards as light exploded from it, pulling her in as her world became white.

…………………………

Trollzart hummed softly as he flitted through Symphonyville, the home of the Classical trolls. Their ancestors had built their new home high up within the clouds, which suited the small winged trolls just fine.

They had carved out homes from the surrounding mountains, and taken up herding eighth goats. They had a very tight knit community, especially those that had instruments requiring two or more of the small cherub trolls to carry.

Today, it was his task to set up for the performance tonight. They tried to have one at least once a week, where Classical trolls would either show what they had learned, have a full orchestra, or just enjoy each other’s company. While he was the towns' Conductor, in charge of guarding the string and leading his trolls in music, they all took part in village activities.

He absently waved his hands as though he was conducting right now, moving in the 4/4 time as he hummed a quiet tune to himself. This was a common sight in Symphonyville, seeing Trollzart composing, even when trying to focus on another task. Some called him a little scatterbrained though, as he usually had three or more tasks going at once, and could never focus on a single one for long.

He simply said that it was the best way to get done what was needed within a decent time frame.

He slipped into the performance hall, and took a deep breath. He loved this place, weather empty as it was now, or full to bursting with his trolls, eager to share their love for Classical with each other. He flew down to the stage, and simply hovered over the polished floor beneath him. He turned towards the seats and let his eyes shut, imagining the way the performance would look and sound.

This ability of his was why they named him the Conductor. As long as he knew the song, or at least had time ahead to plan, the performances always went off without a hitch. It’s why he had held the title, even into his older years.

Though sometimes, in private, he would admit that he was tired. Not of his music or his lot in life, not at all! He loved the Classical trolls, and being the Conductor was a wonderful honor, but… He let out a soft sigh, setting down to sit on the stage as his wings drooped. “I do so ever hope I will find a successor soon…” He had very little time for himself, as he was always throwing himself into every task around the village.

He needed a break…

He blinked a bit when he noted the world behind his eyelids growing brighter, and stared up to see a glowing white crystal set above the stage.

They always used a naturally luminescent crystal for light during the night, but they rarely activated without some sort of prompting. He stood up, and leapt into the air, flying up to get a closer look. Sure enough, one of the foggier crystals was glowing white, pulsing slightly. “My… how strange…”

He reached a hand out, and lightly brushed the polished surface.

He instantly regretted that, yanking his hand back to shield his eyes as a blinding white light engulfed him.

………………………….

Barb plucked at her guitar strings, laying with her back on the seat of a couch, her legs propped up on the back rest and her head hanging upside down over the edge. She looked bored out of her brains, and the occasional huff or sigh just added to it.

She was so bored with Volcano rock city by this point. Sure, she was young, and a princess, but that didn’t mean she had much to do. Her dad was the king, and took care of all the important stuff, but since she was a princess, most other rock trolls saw her as being too far above their station to be friends with her.

And so she often found herself in these situations, staring at the upside down view she had of her home, plucking absently at her guitar, and wishing that something, ANYTHING interesting would happen.

As though a sign from above, she heard a faint thrumming noise from the next room, and used her feet to flip herself forward off the couch, curling to land feet first before darting off to the room with the noise in question.

Once she made it, she realized it was her room. She glanced about, searching for the origin of the sound, which while interesting, was starting to get on her nerves. As one point, she began flipping her furniture in a desperate bid to find the source.

That’s when she found it after flipping her mattress clear across the room. She blinked a bit, stopping to lift it. It was a white crystal her dad had given her years ago, shaped like a guitar pick. It had one smoothed edge specifically for strumming, but she had never used it.

She flipped the crystal pick over in her hands a few times, peering into it as she tried to figure out just why it was glowing all of a sudden. It had certainly never done anything as cool as this! She snatched up the nearest guitar, the one she had been playing with on the couch, and readied herself. She took a deep breath, and struck the chords with the crystal pick.

The moment she did, a bright, blinding light leapt forth from the crystal, forcing her to drop both the guitar and pick to cover her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, chapter 2! I hope you guys enjoy, next chapter will start the meat of the story!


	3. Branch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch has always been a wary troll, usually the first to recognize a potential threat. But when posed with a question he had never thought to ask, he can't help setting his caution aside to learn. There were other troll tribes, all vastly different from himself, and he was a Pop troll. As many questions as he has, some will have to wait though!

Branch groaned softly as he came to, rubbing at the back of his head where he’d surely have a lump later. He looked around, spotting Poppy next to him, and Cooper a short distance away. He stood on wobbly feet and gently shook Poppy awake. She let out a small grumble, muttering about five more minutes.

He huffed, and abandoned waking her for now. He went over to Cooper, but paused for a moment. Something seemed… off about him. He inched closer slowly, and nudged the other troll lightly. “Cooper…?”

As the other troll groaned softly in pain and lifted their head, Branch realized this DEFINITELY wasn't Cooper. He shuffled back a few paces, taking up a defensive stance. When the new troll turned to face him, they both stared at each other, each looking the other over curiously.

It was no wonder at a distance Branch had thought this troll was Cooper, he was a dead ringer! Even the light and dark pink stripes on the fur of his body. The only real differences between the two were that this new troll had shorter, thicker dreads, jewelry, and golden tinsel along his neck.

Branch hesitated a moment longer before speaking. “You’re not Cooper, who are you?” He hadn’t meant to sound so aggressive, but maybe that was the best approach here?

The Cooper look-alike lifted his ears for a moment before wincing and lowering them again. “Man, rough tune…” The new troll smiled softly, pushing himself into a standing position and held out a hand. “I’m Prince Darnell, but my friends call me Prince D.”

“Prince D? You’re royalty…? But… what are you? You’re a troll, right? Like Cooper…” Branch wasn’t sure how to feel about Prince D’s relaxed approach, but he wasn’t as tense as before.

“I’m a funk troll, though I’m more hip hop than that. And you are…?” Prince D. gave the other a quizzical look, seeing the pure confusion that painted the grey trolls features.

“A… hip hop? Funk? Um, I’m Branch, and… I’m a troll?” He wasn’t sure where the other terms D had used came from, and he hoped he’d have enough time to ask before Poppy woke up.

Darnell shook his head. “No, what kind of troll are you… wait!” He stepped closer, his ears perking up a bit. “You sound weird, but… the troll behind you sounds Pop, are you a Pop troll?” D took up a slightly more defence ready posture.

Branch arched a brow, curiosity overtaking his anxiety. “Pop? Wait, what are you talking about… are there different types of trolls…?” He perked up, ears twitching slightly as he heard the groans of several other trolls nearby. As he scanned over his surroundings, he realized that there were four other trolls, besides Cooper and Poppy.

There was a dark blue one that glowed faintly and, oddly enough, had no feet. Another with enough hair to make a Pop troll jealous and four legs, with a bushy tail. A third that looked like a small glitter troll with wings and one that looked like a Pop troll, but grey and red rather than flashy colors.

As each new, strange troll stood, Branch made his way back over to Poppy, putting himself between her and the perceived danger. Once Cooper had stood up, and shaken himself off, Branch tried to call him over. He may not consider Cooper a friend, but he’d protect any troll from his village. Especially Poppy.

Cooper wasn’t listening to Branch though, his eyes fixed on Prince D, his ears up and pointing forward. “You sound… like me…! You look like me too!”

Prince D. lifted his head and looked at the source of the voice, and his jaw dropped when he saw Cooper. “W-Wait… You’re a funk troll, like me! How… you look…” His eyes widened, and he stepped a little closer to Cooper. Branch readied to grab the prince with his hair. “You’re… my brother… I think you’re my twin brother…!”

Cooper stepped forward as well, and soon ran to each other, D practically knocking Cooper over in a massive hug that the other gladly returned. As the two embraced, Branch took the time to watch as the other trolls looked around, clearly in varying levels of distress.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to let out a yelp and leap away, spinning to see who it was. When he saw Poppy, he relaxed, but only slightly. She didn’t seem to notice. “Branch, what’s going on? Where are we, and who are all these strange… trolls?”

Branch glanced back towards the others before returning his attention to Poppy. “They are trolls. The one that looks like Cooper called himself a Funk… or Hip hop… I think they’re different types of trolls.”

She ooh’d softly, nodding a bit. Her eyes were drawn to the dark blue one, and she gasped. “Wait, Branch, that one over there… He looks really, really scared! We should go see if they’re all alright!” And with that, she ran off, waving a hand and calling out a greeting.

He groaned loudly. This was NOT the time for Poppy to be being cheerful. He ran after her, and stepped in front, forcing her to stop. He looked at the three trolls. “Who are you guys?”

The four legged troll puffed out her chest and set her hands on her hips. “The names Delta dawn, sheriff of Lonesome flats.”

The small glittery troll adjusted his coat for a moment, fluttering up into the air. “And I am Trollzart, conductor of Symphonyville.”

“U-Um…” All present turned to look at the dark blue, finned troll. He shrunk in on himself slightly, still lying on his stomach as his fins curled over a bit to cover him. “I-I’m… King Trollex…O-Of Techno reef…”

Poppy poked her head out a bit more from behind Branch, and grinned widely. “Oh wow, you all look so different from us! Are you trolls?”

Delta bristled at the question. “Well a’course we are, ya ninny! What else would we be?”

Whether she was unaware of what ninny meant, or was too relaxed despite their situation to take offense, Branch would never know. He was too distracted by what Poppy pointed out next. “I dunno, a smaller version of whatever that is?” She gestured behind herself, and everyone present nearly let out cries of distress.

Lying not too far from them, to the point Branch wondered how he hadn’t noticed before, was a large creature, with soft features and poofy black hair. As he looked the creature over, he realized something. “I think whatever knocked us out and brought us here, knocked that thing out to…”

Before Branch had a chance to stop her, she ran towards the creature, and stood in front of its face. He could tell from the breeze ruffling Poppy’s hair that it was still breathing. So it was still alive, and a potential threat.

Poppy reached out, gently brushing her hand against its cheek, and she hummed softly. “Soft… but not like us.” She jumped a bit on it and it let out a soft groan, clearly starting to come around.

Branch panicked, and looked around for some sort of safety. They were on a massive crystal dais, with the nearest foliage being one hundred or more trolls lengths away. He bit his lip, and then spotted something sitting open on the crystal with them. “Quick, in there!”

He began running towards what appeared to be an oversized backpack of sorts, ready to leap inside, when he realized that not every troll was following. He stopped, and turned to see the troll with fins struggling to rise and follow. Of course he couldn’t walk, let alone run!

Branch spun on his heels, not giving himself time to talk himself down. He scooped up Trollex, holding him close as he made a bee line straight for the bag. He glanced over at the creature, and managed to leap into the bag with the rest of the trolls, just as its eyes fluttered open.

Once inside, Branch pressed his ear against the fabric that surrounded him, trying his best to hear what was going on outside. He had completely forgotten he was still holding up Trollex, until he heard a soft, hesitant noise from his arms.

“U-Umm, thank you b-but… You can… put me down now, if you like…” Trollex fidgeted a bit, trying not to squirm and upset the other's balance.

Branch squeaked softly, cheeks heating in his embarrassment as he gently set Trollex down. “Sorry about that, I wanted to make sure everyone got in here safe.”

Trollex smiled softly and offered a small bow. “Well, thank you, sir…”

As the other trolls gathered around, the only ones that didn’t seem nervous were Poppy and Delta, the latter of which looked angrier than anything. “So, anyone know what in blue blazes is goin’ on here?”

It was Prince D. that spoke up this time. “Well, I think we all got pulled here. Not too sure where 'Here' is, but I know it’s not the troll kingdoms…” He looked around at those gathered, his ears flicking up for a moment before he let them down to rest again. “You all sound so different… You’re all different tribes, right?”

Branch crossed her arms. “There you go again with the Tribes business. What do you mean by tribes?”

D looked at those assembled, and realized something he didn’t think he’d have to do. “None… none of you know your tribes? Really? You didn’t even know there were others?”

As each shook their head, he lowered his slightly, a bit upset at this. “Well, then, have I got a story for you…” As he began to tell the story of the strings, the genre tribes, and all else he knew on the matter, he decided it was for the best to leave out the bit about the Pop trolls trying to steal the strings in the first place, these pop trolls seemed decent enough. As his story concluded, all the trolls gathered seemed to look at one another in a different light.

Poppy smiled brightly. “So, we really are all trolls! We just… like different music and stuff, right?”

Branch couldn’t help but let his curiosity overtake his caution again. He wanted to know more about these other trolls and their music, it sounded so fascinating! He was so used to the overly peppy music his tribe, the pop trolls, sang.

He was about to ask more questions, when suddenly the bag they were in shifted, and was lifted. He muffled his cry of distress as they all plummeted to the bottom of the bag, landing on each other with soft thumps. It was a good thing Trolls were light!

As their world was jostled about, Branch grit his teeth. He didn’t like hug time, and he certainly didn’t like being turned into a pancake under strange trolls! He lashed his hair out, caught hold of a loop higher up in the bag, and pulled himself up. He clung to the loop, and noticed there was a bit of light pouring in.

He used his hair to swing to the opening in the zipper of the bag, and poked his head out. What he saw had him both terrified and intrigued. The outside world here was nearly as colorful as it was in theirs. He continued to look around, and spotted another creature, similar to the one they had seen, but somehow much, MUCH larger. From what he could tell, they were being carried by the smaller one with curly hair from earlier, and the two were discussing what had happened.

The larger one scratched the back of his head and glanced back towards the crystal dais. “You sure you’re alright, Steven? Those warp pads don’t… normally do that, right?”

The smaller one, Steven shook his head. “No, I don’t think they do. At least, they never did when the gems used them. But I swear I’m ok dad! Don’t worry; I just got a little bump on the head is all.”

Branch looked back again towards the large crystal, which he assumed was the warp they were talking about. He would ask, but… for now it seemed wise to keep their presence a secret. He grabbed a hold of the zipper and slipped back into the bag, pulling it shut and plunging them into near darkness, short of Trollex’s soft glow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting interesting now~


	4. Cooper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cooper was a bit different from the other trolls in the village he grew up in, and he finally knows why! He's a long lost prince from an entirely different tribe! That's not something that happens every day.

Cooper had always felt a little bit out of place in Pop village, being the only one that looked like he did. The Pop trolls had never seemed to mind much, but he had noticed that king Peppy was always avoiding talking to him at length. That part was easy to deal with, what wasn’t was the constant noise he had to filter through.

He didn’t realize it, but he had the ability to hear the heart song within a troll, which helped him in learning more about whoever he’s talking with. The drawback was that he had absolutely no idea how to filter it out completely.

He had always assumed other trolls had to deal with this too, but were simply better at controlling it than he was. But for the first time, he didn’t feel as different as usual. He had found the brother he never even known he’d had!

Darnell, or D. as he preferred he be called, looked almost identical to himself, but that wasn’t the only thing they shared.

Coop was so used to the style of music he heard from the Pop trolls, that he had found his own song rather strange. It had an odd melody he had never heard before, until now that is. D. seemed to have a near exact match to his own underlying tune.

“D, you sound so cool! I didn’t know there was anyone else like me out there…!” Coop was nearly bouncing, though that might be because of the giant creature walking and jostling them all around.

Prince D. chuckled, and nodded a bit, his ears perking up slightly. “Yeah, it’s nice to hear you Cooper… Who gave you that name, anyway?”

He hummed softly, tapping his chin lightly. “I think… Poppy did! She was a little kid at the time, and thought I looked like a Cooper! What about you, D.? Who gave you your name?”

“Mom and dad, of course! King Quincy and Queen Essence.”

Her perked up at that. He hadn’t even thought about a mom and dad… it made sense when he thought about it though… “Can… you tell me about them?”

Darnell smiled softly, and nodded. “They’re super awesome. Mom, Queen Essence, can be a bit scary when she’s mad, but she loves to sing with me. Dad, King Quincy, used to let me climb onto his back under his cape whenever I was upset. When I told them I wasn’t all Funk, but felt more Hip Hop, they were completely fine with it.”

Cooper gave a small head tilt. “Really? Oh! Do they look like us? Do all—um, you said we’re Funk trolls, do we all look the same?”

“No, not really. I mean, we look more alike than we do to other trolls, but mom has blue fur, with silver tinsel, and dad is dark purple, with gold tinsel.” Darnell hummed softly, thinking back to their parents. “Dad’s also got that really cool gold cape, and shades he wears. Mom has glitter around her eyes, and always has her hair done up.”

Cooper was about to ask more, when every troll that had been chatting quietly within the bag went quiet, hearing rather loud banging noises from outside. He looked up towards Branch, who was trying to signal for all the trolls to hunker down. Cooper pressed himself against the soft fabric within the bag, and D. did the same.

Suddenly, their world was set into a spin as the bag they were in was tossed about, landing with a thud that threw every troll into a groaning pile of mixed up limbs and tangled hair.

It took some time, but at last Cooper managed to pull himself free from the pile, taking a gasp of air as he crawled out, shaking his fur out a bit. It was then he realized that the soft blue glow that had been their only source of light before was now above him.

He looked up, and there was the glowing troll, King Trollex. The one with the mix of sad music, and sharp, electronic tones with a really good beat to them. After a few moments of just enjoying the other's sound, he seemed to realize something. “Wait, he can fly?”

That caught D.’s attention, who had just pulled himself from the pile to look up. “What? Hey, how are you doing that?”

Now, all eyes were on Trollex, and he could hear the little guys heart racing from here, his rhythm picking up in pace. When he darted off to hide behind a fold in the fabric, Cooper stepped forward, smiling softly as he called to the timid king of Techno. “Hey there, bud. My name’s Cooper. You’re Trollex, right?”

He could hear the other's music becoming less erratic and panicked, so he kept going, slow and steady. “That’s really cool what you did back there. I didn’t think there were any trolls that could fly!” He glanced back and looked towards Trollzart, who was hovering a bit above the other staring trolls. Even though it was nearly completely dark in the bag with Trollex hiding, he could still make out their silhouettes, and hear their tune. It was so strange to hear so many different things from one group of trolls.

When he returned his attention to Trollex, he could see him poking his head out slightly. Cooper smiled brightly, closing the distance between them, one slow step at a time. “It’s really cool how you glow, too!”

Trollex poked his head out a bit more, and now Cooper could see clearly just how young Trollex looked. He tilted his head a bit. “How old are you? I’m 18!”

He poked his fingers together a bit, floating out of hiding “I’m… I’m 17.” Cooper could see a lot better now, Trollex’s glow just enough to see by. He perked up when he heard the troll with the aggressive music coming up behind him.

He glanced back, and sure enough it was the troll with the shock of red hair and torn up clothes. “You guys are just kids! Well, I guess I’m not too much older.” She set a hand on her chest, grinning. “I’m 22.”

D laughed, stepping up beside his brother. “I’m 18, just like Cooper.” He looked over towards the other trolls. “How about all of you?”

Poppy smiled brightly, skipping over to the group. “Wow, we’re all about the same age! I’m 21!”

Branch didn’t seem ready to share his age, but when he got a half glare from Poppy, he relented with a groan. “24, happy?”

Delta whistled softly, clearly a bit shocked. “Ya’ll’re just kiddos! I’m in my 30’s, but I ain't getting any more specific than that!”

When silence followed Delta’s statement, she turned to Trollzart, who was poking his fingers together nervously, his cheeks and ear tips nearly glowing red. Delta crossed her arms. “What ‘bout you, hm? Can’t be much older than them, I recon.”

He fidgeted a bit more, and Cooper could hear the soft, chiming melody the golden troll had increasing in speed. Trollzart muttered something under his breath, causing Delta to lean forward. “Wuzzat? Didn’t quite hear ya.”

Trollzart let out a groan, slumping his shoulders a bit. “I’m ahh…56…”

Delta blinked in surprise, crossing her arms over her chest. “Holy moly! And here I was thinkin’ I’d be the oldest troll in here!” She laughed heartily as she patted Trollzart’s slumped shoulders.

Branch let out a hiss, trying to get everyone’s attention to quiet them down. He had opened a small hole in the zipper, and had been listening to what was happening outside their confines. Cooper snuck closer, and crouched to peak out of the small hole.

He had to squint for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the light outside, but he was soon able to see.

From his point of view, they were in an absolutely massive enclosed space, with the two large creatures from before chatting near the front. Past them, he could see the sky. “Whoa…” He pushed the zipper open a little more, and squeezed outside, ignoring Branch and D.’s warnings.

Outside of the bag they were in, the large space was filled with a lot of clutter, most of which resembled clothes like some trolls wore. There also seemed to be a massive guitar laying on the soft surface he stood on. “That thing is huge…!”

He let out a soft squeak when he heard one of the giants in the front turning around, and hid under a nearby shirt. “Hey dad, did you hear something?” It was the shorter one speaking, the one with an odd hum in the background of its tune.

The larger one tilted his head slightly, as though listening, before shaking his head. “I don’t hear anything, Steven. Maybe it came from outside?”

With a small shrug the smaller creature scanned over the back once more, before returning its attention to the front. “Yeah, probably.”

As Cooper poked his head back out of hiding, he stared up at the two. From what he’d gathered, the little one was called Steven, and the larger was his dad. And if he had a dad, maybe they weren’t so different? He stood, determined to go introduce himself to them.

Before he could take even a step forward, he felt hair wrap around his midsection, and yank him suddenly back into the darkness of the backpack.

When he was able to stop his world from spinning, he saw Branch standing over him with a stern expression, and D. looking him over worriedly. “You ok there, bro?” When D. offered Cooper a hand up, he gratefully accepted.

Branch wasn’t nearly as calm, his music coming from him doing nothing to hide his emotion. “Cooper are you INSANE?!” he was clearly doing his level best to keep his voice down. “What if you’d been caught? What would we have done then? We don’t know what those creature out th—“

“The little one’s named Steven, and the big ones his dad.” Cooper’s sudden statement caused Branch to pause in his rant. “I don’t think they’d eat us.”

Branch’s ears visibly fell, and Cooper heard what little tune the grey troll had vanished completely. He winced a bit, and felt his brother shiver next to him. Branch looked away, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. “Just… don’t say I didn’t warn you…” He stalked away, shoulders visibly shaking.

Poppy made to follow, but a strong hand on her shoulder gave her pause. She looked back to see Delta holding her, staring ahead after Branch. “I have a feelin’ followin’ him is a bad idea…” She turned back to where Branch went, and saw him hunkered in the farthest corner from them.

Cooper looked towards his brother, hoping for some explanation of what he’d said wrong. He knew Branch was sensitive about the Bergens, but he thought that reassuring him that the two outside wouldn’t eat them would be helpful.

Instead, D just shook his head and gave him a sad look. Coop lowered his own head, ears drooping. It was one of the rare times he could shut out the world. Sometimes, he needed a chance to think.

It didn’t last long though, when a stifled yawn drew the attention of those within the quiet bag. He looked up, ears up again as he spotted Trollex, who was blushing deeply as he covered his mouth. “S-Sorry, just… long day and… sorry…”

Trollzart clapped his hands a bit. “I actually think that resting is for the best. We do not know how long we will be trapped in here, so we may as well take the time to recuperate.”

Thankful for the change in subject, the gathered trolls went their separate ways, finding comfortable spaces for themselves within the confines of the bag. Cooper followed D as they found a spot for themselves, opting for sticking together. Once settled, Cooper found himself staring at Branch, who hadn’t moved from his spot, not even to lie down or get comfortable.

D. rested his head on Cooper’s back, but he never took his eyes over the grey troll. “Coop, what’s the deal with your friend? He seems tense… even his heart song is gone. I’ve never heard that before.”

Coop nearly threw his brother off of himself as he whipped around to stare at him. “I’ve never heard anyone else talk about a trolls sound!”

The young prince stared at Cooper like he’d grown another head. “Um… All Funk trolls can hear the heart song, but from what I heard, no other trolls can. Pop definitely can’t, so they wouldn’t really talk about it.” He glanced at Cooper’s ears. “And I’m surprised you keep your ears up all the time.”

He twitched his ears slightly, trying to bring them into his view. “What do you mean? Am I not supposed to?”

Prince D. chuckled softly, and shook his head. “No, you can, it’s just a lot to listen to. When we put our ears down, we can still hear other trolls talking, and all the things other trolls normally hear, but with our ears up, we can hear the heart song.” He twitched his ears slightly. “Give it a try.”

He hummed, giving the other a confused look before lowering his ears. Sure enough, just as it happened whenever he was upset, he couldn’t hear the songs from the other trolls anymore. His eyes widened slightly as he stared awestruck at his brother. It was so quiet now! “Oh man… I can’t hear any of it anymore…!”

Darnell laughed, nuzzling into Cooper’s neck, who returned the affection. “See? Told you, it’s hard listening all the time.”

Cooper nodded, and gave a small yawn of his own, resting his head on his brothers back. “It’ll be really easy to… fall asleep…without…” He wasn’t even able to finish his own sentence, drifting off into a peaceful, silent sleep.

When next Cooper woke up, it was to the bag they were in being jostled, tossing all the trolls about as most fell into a pile at the bottom, the only ones spared being the quick thinking Branch, and the flying Trollex and Trollzart.

With a thump, the bag finally came to a stop, and all the trolls held their breath, waiting for the next movement. When none came, Branch pressed a finger to his mouth, indicating them to keep quiet. He snuck over to the zipper, pulled it open carefully, and peeked outside. A moment later, he pulled the zipper open further, and stepped out of the bag.

They watched, holding their breaths, waiting for the all clear.

When Branch poked his head back in, they nearly jumped out of their skins. “It’s all clear, no one’s around… but we’re nowhere near safe…”

The trolls all stepped out of the bag, Cooper following after Poppy, with D. right behind him. As he took in the world around him, he realized that Branch was right. They weren’t safe yet. They were on a bed that looked to be as big as Troll Village, in a room that dwarfed even the bed.

They were in a world of giants, with no idea how to get home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SLEPT IN OH GODS! I am so so so sorry for anyone that was waiting on the chapter, I just had a really weird day and I took a nap and suddenly it's so late and just.... sorry....


	5. Delta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was used to her life. Sure, it had it's hardships, but at least it stayed constant. Wake up, work around the town, round up some ner-do-well's and keep the peace. Now, she had to help turn the space under a giants bed into a haven safe for her and the other trolls she's found herself stuck with. At least some of them have their head firmly attached.

Delta dawn had dealt with a lot of strange things in her life. When you live on the outskirts of the glitter dessert, you have to be prepared for anything and everything. Of course, that usually didn’t extend to traveling to a giants world, getting stuck with 7 strange trolls, and learning that your music is just one out of a bunch. She wasn’t sure she was adjusting well.

After they had finally stopped moving, and were able to leave the stuffy bag, each troll had decided that under the bed would be the best place to hide, while still keeping close enough to the large creature Cooper called Steven. So far, Delta had spent a majority of her time trying to corral the younger trolls into focusing and helping to clean out the dust bunnies and cobwebs. 

She was already getting a headache, especially with how loud both Poppy and Barb were.

She found some solace in Trollzart and Branch, who seemed inclined more to their personal space and quiet. She admired Branch’s ability to curb Poppy’s curiosity, and couldn’t help seeing a bit of herself in him. He was smart, quick thinking, and from what she’d seen so far, strong. 

Plus, he didn’t act like Poppy or Cooper, who were far too energetic for her tastes. So when she found herself standing next to the grey troll, she figured she’d try to start up a conversation. “So, yer name’s Branch, right? Ya seem pretty ready for stuff like this.”

Branch perked up at the others voice, apparently not expecting the small talk. He blushed lightly and rubbed at the back of his head. “Always got to be prepared… never know when a Bergen might find you…”

She tilted her head slightly at that. “What’s a Bergen, if’n you don’t mind my asking.” She was a little surprised to see how tense he became. Had she hit a sensitive subject?

He took a few moments to answer, eyeing her up as if to see if she was either joking, or trying to poke fun at him. When he saw no dishonesty, he sighed. “They used to eat us. 20 years ago, the Bergens had us all trapped, and ate a lot of us each year… then we escaped.”

Delta looked between him, Poppy, and Cooper, shocked by that news. “Wha…. Really? But then, why are the other two still so peppy?”

He gave a small shrug, but didn’t elaborate any further. She watched as the trolls discussed how best to organize the space they had beneath the bed, and couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Branch that made him so different from the other two from his tribe. She had a feeling they’d have plenty of time to figure it out… for now though?

She heard branch’s stomach rumble audibly, and couldn’t help a laugh. They needed provision. Something to eat, and some water would be enough. “I think we need someone to go and find food…”

With a nod, Branch turned to head out. “I’ll go see what I can find.” 

Delta put her arm out in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. “Nah, I got this. You know some of the trolls here; you keep an eye on em. I’ll rustle up some grub.”

“Not a chance, they can take care of themselves.” He winced a bit as he heard a thump, and a sorry from the group of young trolls. He didn’t need to look to know that someone was causing mischief. “Well, mostly. But I’m still not letting you go alone. We can cover more ground, and have a better chance making it back if we go together.”

She hummed, nodding a bit. “Aight, yer right. Let’s head out together.” She turned to Trollzart, who looked surprisingly calm watching the younger trolls play and horse around. “Trollzart, we’re headin’ out, hold down the fort.”

He glanced upwards, then pointed to the bottom of the bed above them. “I do not think I need to hold it down. I think it is too heavy to float.”

She gave him a half-hearted glare. “You know what I mean.”

He smiled, and gave a small nod. “Yes, of course I do. I just wanted to make a small jest.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes as she made her way to the small space that lead out from under the bed. As they stepped out, they walked behind the bedside table, and came to the top of the stairs. Delta looked over at branch, and pointed down. “I think we’re best off finding food down there.” She pointed towards the kitchen. “I think that’s a kitchen… looks bout right, anyway.”

He nodded, and took a few steps back, before giving his head a swing, sending his hair stretching up to grab the railing of the stairs. He pulled himself up, landing on the top, and sliding down the railing. Once at the bottom, he leapt off, and landed neatly on the floor below. She had to give him props for style.

She started at a trot, making her way for the narrow ledge to the side of the stairs, it was wide enough for her, but she doubted another troll could run abreast of her. She began to pick up speed as she made her way down the slope, reaching a full gallop by the time she reached the bottom. Once there, she leapt off of the last ledge, landing with sharp clicks as her hooves hit the hardwood below her. She winced a bit. “I might hafta walk a lil more gently on this.”

Branch nodded, but was more focused on his surroundings. “For now, let’s focus on keeping vigil. We don’t know where that Steven could have gone, or when he might show back up. Or the bigger one either.” He began to make his way towards the kitchen, keeping more towards the walls.

She followed behind, staring around at the building. It resembled, in some ways, the homes in Lonesome flats. Of course, most homes there didn’t have a huge stone room on the back with a—“Wait, Branch, hold yer horses, d’ya see that?” She pointed towards the center of the stone carved section of the home. 

He glanced over to see what she was talking about, and stopped dead in his tracks. “Hey… that looks like the big crystal we all landed on!” He began to run towards it, and she realized the distance was too great for a troll with to legs to cover quickly. 

She ran, and caught up to him quickly, gesturing to her back. “Hop on!” He seemed to hesitate a moment, calculating the distance, and opted for taking her advice. He took her hand, and swung himself up and onto her back.

She was surprised at just how light he was, but didn’t pause to give it thought, instead picking up her pace. They covered the distance nearly three times faster than he ever could have on his own, and he seemed to have enjoyed the ride. Once they came to a stop at the base of the crystal, Branch jumped off of her back, and smiled at her. “Thanks, Delta. It’s amazing to think the strengths other tribes seem to have…” he looked towards the crystal. “I think as long as we don’t forget that we’re in this together, we can help each other out.”

She nodded, and gave him a pat on the back. “Agreed. Fer now, let’s see what we can dig up on this here crystal.”

Branch nodded, humming softly as he tapped at his cheek. “Well, I heard Steven’s dad mention that they’re called ‘Warp pads’, so that’s probably what they do… warp things.”

“And, what’s warp mean, exactly?” 

“Hm? Oh, from what I can gather, it means to teleport, so to move something from one place to another instantly.” He reached out, and tapped the crystal lightly. “It looks the same as the crystal Poppy wore around her neck. It suddenly glowed brightly, and we woke up here.”

Delta perked up at that, looking over at him. “Same happened ta me!” She reached for the Bolo tie around her neck, tilting it so the crystal within caught the light. “See?”

He leaned in a bit closer to her, taking a closer look at the crystal before nodding. “Yeah, yours looks the same as Poppy’s and this great big crystal. I think that whatever this crystal uses as power, somehow activated all those little pieces, and pulled us here… Of course, that’s just a working theory”

She smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s better than where we were before, so I say it’s a step forward! A’course, we still haven’t found food yet.”

He blinked a bit, before face palming, earning a little chuckle from her. “I got distracted, sorry Delta… it’s just such a fascinating concept!” He looked around, then started to head towards the counter. “But we should find something to eat and drink. I don’t want to stay out here to long…” 

As the two made their way back towards the kitchen, Branch stopped suddenly, grabbing Delta’s arm and dragging her into cover. She was about to protest when she saw the world outside turning red. She looked at towards her companion, who seemed wound as tight as a spring. “Branch, what do ya recon is goin’ on out there? Should we take a look…?”

He remained silent for a few moments, before nodding. “Yeah, but food is important to. I’ll grab some, whatever I can find, and you go keep a lookout.”

With a nod, the two set about their missions. Branch used his hair to reach the top of the counter quickly, while Delta sped towards the windows. It took some fancy hoof work and a few well timed and placed leaps, but she eventually made it to the window sill, and was able to peak outside.

What she saw didn’t look very good at all…

From what she could gather, they were situated on a beach of some sort, but while she was sure it normally looked beautiful, right now it was chaos. The world was bathed in crimson light, casting long shadows across the ground from the creatures on the beach, one she recognized as the Steven creature from before, the other was the dad. He could tell the other three were connected, but beyond that she was clueless.

In the sky, a massive red orb hung. It seemed to be drawing things towards it, sand lifting in chunks from the beach, water floating up in large bubbles, and flying debris from rocks, and even the building they she was in. 

She really, really hoped this place was built to last.

She was about to step away from the window to find cover, when suddenly what looked like a pink canon amongst the creatures on the beach began to glow, before firing a beam into the sky.

She yelped, ducking down behind the window ledge slightly, but making sure she was still able to see. She watched as the beam connected with the object in the sky, shattering it a moment later. As the world slowly returned to its natural color, she decided it was time to get back to the safety they had found under the bed. 

She leapt down from the ledge, finding her way to the floor and galloping to Branch, who was up on a high counter, sorting out a few small bags of food he had found. Mostly gummy packs and a small bag of carrot sticks from the fridge. More than enough to feed them all.

She double checked that none of the creatures from outside were approaching, before yelling up to him. “Branch, I think it’s ‘bout time we skedaddle! Toss what’cha found down here and I’ll grab it!” A few moments later, and branch pushed the packages off of the counter, letting them fall a short distance from Delta, before leaping down for himself. He used his hair to slow his decent by grabbing one of the cupboard handles.

Branch gave her a look of panic, gesturing to the world outside the window. “What was going on out there? It sounded like an explosion!”

Delta gave a nod, hoisting up half of the food he had found. “By all accounts, that’s exactly what it was. They used some weird pink canon thing to blow up a big red ball in the sky. Mighty odd place we seem to have landed…”

He nodded, picking up the last of the food before starting to make his way towards the stairs. “Let’s just get back to safety, if this place has giant canons, I REALLY don’t want to stick around to find out what they can do to a troll…” 

The two worked together to make it back up the stairs, Branch using his hair to help Delta up the steps, while she carried the food. Once they had finally made it back up the stairs and under the bed, they were immediately accosted by the other trolls, asking what had caused all the noise and shaking earlier. She took some time to explain what she’d seen while she and branch handed out a gummy to each troll. 

Poppy nibbled on her gummy, looking worriedly at Branch. “Branch, are you sure you’re ok? You normally start to panic when stuff goes crazy like that.”

Branch didn’t answer immediately, instead focusing on making sure every troll had a bit of food to eat before he responded. “I had something else to focus on, I guess… I was more worried about getting food for everyone. I’ll grab a bit of water later.”

Delta hummed. They had to figure out a better system, traveling all that way down the stairs was a big risk, regardless of who went. Trollzart or Trollex might be able to hide, but she wasn’t sure either could carry enough for them all. 

She looked at the trolls gathered, all chewing on their gummies, and couldn’t help but laugh at the blissful face Trollex was making. “What’s got you so happy, Trollex?”

He let out a content sigh, his ear fins wiggling a bit. “So sweet…~” They all began to laugh at that, and she was happy they could still find joy amongst each other. Branch was right, so long as they stuck together, they could push through anything.


	6. Branch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you get when you cross an anxious troll with a Crystal gem mission? A very grumpy one.

The trolls had fallen into a strange, but comfortable cycle in their new environment. The younger trolls would wake up early, take a peek outside to see if the coast was clear, and wake the elder trolls if it was. They’d then group off to go and find something to eat, drink, and anything they could use to make their space a bit more comfortable.

This was the norm over the course of the past 3 days, but Branch had begun to notice something off about the youngest member of their group. Trollex had been quieter, even more so than usual. He had gotten a lot more comfortable with the trolls closest to his age, but yesterday he hadn’t spoken much at all, and what little he did say seemed short and tired.

Today, Branch joined the others for breakfast, munching on chunks of carrot sticks they had managed to get on this morning’s run. He nibbled at his piece, his eyes darting over towards the still sleeping Trollex. The kid hadn’t stirred at all since he went to sleep early the night before.

He nearly dropped his carrot in a panic as a small hand rested on his shoulder. He turned to spot Trollzart, looking past him towards Trollex. “I am concerned for the young one, Branch. He does not normally sleep in so… And I think he’s been feeling under the weather as well…”

He nodded, then looked over at Trollex again. “I’ll go see if I can wake him up and find out what’s wrong.” He set his piece of carrot down, and made his way to the sleeping area. He knelt down, and set a hand gently on Trollex’s shoulders to nudge him awake, but recoiled almost immediately. He was so hot to the touch!

Branch rolled Trollex towards himself and onto his back, looking him over. He hadn’t noticed it before, but the young Techno troll’s glow had faded a fair amount. There was also an odd brittle feel to his skin and a red flush to his face. “Trollex, what’s going on? You’re burning up!”

Trollex let out a small whimper, and opened his eyes a little and blinked slowly. After a moment, he seemed to remember where he was, and tried to sit up, only to fall back again. “B-Branch? I don’t feel very good… I feel all dry…”

“Dry…?” He looked at the other, and finally everything felt like it clicked into place. “Of course…! You’re an aquatic troll; you’d need water, not just the juice we’ve been drinking…!” He pushed himself to his feet, heading for the hole in the beds baseboard. “Hold tight, I’m going to try and bring you some proper water.”

As he passed by the group of trolls, he realized they were all looking up at him curiously. He paused in his stride to address them. “Trollex isn’t feeling well at all, keep an eye on him while I’m gone; I’m going to look for something to help him.”

Delta moved to stand, but Branch shook his head. “I need to be quick, and I can’t risk waiting if Steven’s out there. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He turned towards the opening, his mind already running at a mile a minute. He had to get the water, or they could lose him. But he still needed to be careful, or he might not return.

Once he was out in the sunshine, he realized he was right. He could hear Steven talking with someone. He looked around, trying to find the best route to take down to the kitchen. He couldn’t use the stairs, there was a high chance he’d run into Steven, and he’d have nowhere to hide if that happened. Perhaps the high road?

He looked up, and spotted the rafters running along the ceiling. It was his best chance…

The problem was, he couldn’t stretch his hair anywhere near far enough for that… He glanced around; making sure no one was upstairs with him. Once he was sure it was all clear, he whipped his hair forward, stretching to reach for the ledge of the bed. Once he was sure he had a good hold, he pulled himself up quickly, using the speed to flip himself onto the mattress above.

From here, he saw that by climbing the shelves at the head of the bed, he could get himself close enough to grab the beam above the bed. Once there, he could run across the beam without much threat of discovery. With the plan set in place, he set to work.

With deft movements and powerful leaps, he made it quickly to the top of the shelves and onto the beam. As he was about to start sprinting across, he paused. From his current vantage point, he could see Steven running up the stairs, throwing what looked like a burger onto the bed.

To his surprise, Steven quickly started tossing items into the burger, bringing Branch to the quick realization that it was a backpack made to look like a hamburger. He chuckled softly. “This place has a lot of weird stuff… Poppy would love to see that back pack though.”

He stood, and turned to head to the kitchen. He hadn’t realized though that his foot was a bit too close to the edge, and before he had time to realize what was happening, he was falling through the air towards Steven. His eyes widened and tried to lash his hair towards the rafters, but he was already too far.

He grit his teeth, ready to fight if need be, when Steven suddenly moved out of the way. He would have been relieved, if he didn’t end up falling into the backpack instead. With a soft thump, he landed on something made of rubber.

“Geeze… I need to watch my step…” He grumbled to himself as he pushed himself to a sitting position. He needed to get out of the bag fast, before Steven accidentally trapped him inside. He stood, and was about to leap out, when a large soft object landed on top of him, before the world was plunged into darkness.

He sighed. This just figures. He missed his Bunker, with everything he’d ever need. He missed his solitude, but in a backpack? Hardly ideal. And he missed his normal routines most of all. Once he had shoved his way out from beneath the soft item that had been thrown on top of him, he made his way to the zipper.

After a few moments of feeling around, and poking his fingers into the crevasses, Branch was able to unzip the bag enough for him to see. What greeted him had his stomach drop.

They were standing on the warp pad, which was starting to glow with the same light as Poppy’s crystal had, shortly before taking them here. He was about to see the warp pad in action, up close and personal.

He could also see one of the other people Steven was always with. This one was pale as a ghost, tall, and very slender. He slipped back into the bag slightly, trying to keep from being seen by any of them. This was definitely not ideal. He had no method of escape, and he was about to be warped to who knows where. He screwed his eyes shut as the light suddenly blasted out from the crystal below them, but was shocked to find that he felt no different. He hadn’t even blacked out like before. That’s when he heard Steven laughing.

He poked his head out again, and marveled at the site before him. They were surrounded by light, and he felt completely weightless! Of course, the sense of joy was short lived as Steven began to float towards the outer edge of the light, and dip outside of it.

The rush of cold that hit Branch nearly froze him solid, and he barely managed to open his eyes to see what was outside this beam of light. What he saw had his breath catch in his throat. He was surrounded on all sides by stars, small and twinkling in the distance. He stared in awe at the sheer expanse of space.

A moment later, the slender creature from before pulled Steven back within the stream, and Branch along with him. With more than enough shock to his system, Branch decided to slip back into hiding, sipping the bag once again.

Inside, he hunkered down between two soft shirts, staring up at the small amount of light filtering in from the spaces in the zipper teeth. “I think this Steven creature is connected to the warps… I think he can use them. Maybe, if we stick with him, he’ll eventually go to the trolls… wherever they are…” He sighed, rubbing at his temples. “But why do they need this? Can’t they just walk to wherever they need to be? Did they only have this method of transport here?”

The questions began to chase themselves in circles in Branch’s mind, but no matter how he tried to organize them, or try to come up with a safer idea, only one conclusion came to mind. “We need to help. We need to try and get Steven to take us home… without him finding us.”

Suddenly, gravity seemed to have kicked back into gear, and Branch felt the bag he was in suddenly falling, before stopping abruptly with an oof from Steven outside. “I guess we’re here… wherever that is…” He scrambled back towards the zipper, and poked his head out. “Oh… wow… Alright, there is NO way they could have walked here…”

All around them was water, which Branch found to be a bit ironic. He’d found the water he was looking for, but he couldn’t exactly bring it to Trollex now. Whatever was going to happen, he was an unwilling tagalong.

“Whoa, the Sea Spire!” Branch perked up when he heard Steven’s voice. So that’s what this place was called? He drew his head back in a bit, but left a small space open to watch out of. He just hoped Steven didn’t need anything from his bag…

He let Steven chat with the others. He was starting to remember names, at least a little bit. He knew they were named after precious gems, and as far as he could tell they were female. He’d have to watch more to get them right though. After a few moments of talking, his ears perked up. He could have sworn he’d heard crumbling rock…

He poked his head out of the hole again, and his heart dropped as Steven, with him still in the backpack, suddenly began to plunge downwards. He shut his eyes tight, and clung the fabric. A moment later, they were yanked back up, and into the arms of the thin one. If he wasn’t trying to stay hidden, he could have hugged her, he was so relieved!

He had already had more excitement than he could deal with, but he was sure this was only the start. Sure enough, he was right. A few minutes after the falling scare, Branch felt the bag being swung around, and scrambled for a hiding place beneath the clothing. It was a lucky thing that’s where he went, as it was the two sweaters that Steven was after.

Branch held his breath, keeping himself pressed to the bottom of the bag as Steven zipped it back up and put it back on. Why was this happening to him, anyway? Any of the other trolls would have probably found this fun! Branch grumbled, covering his face with his hands as he contemplated hopping out of the bag while he had a chance, and waiting near the crystal for their return.

That’s when it felt like gravity suddenly tripled on him. He yelped, shoving a bagel off of himself when it began to crush him. He grit his teeth, praying the pressure would ease soon. Trolls were not meant for this!

And as soon as it had come, it was gone. He sighed, practically melting into the fabric around him as he allowed himself a moment to relax. “This is insane… How can they just go through all this? What are they made of…?” He was way too exhausted to deal with this anymore… he was just about at his limit…

Maybe if he tried to leave the bag and slip in somewhere Steven WOULDN’T be constantly throwing around and reaching into… But that would require him leaving the bag, and that REALLY wasn’t an option. He sighed, resigned to his fate.

As their adventure continued, Branch found himself picking up more and more information about Steven’s three companions, who he was quickly realizing were very, very powerful. They were able to do things he’d never seen or heard of before, and couldn’t help poking his head out to see from time to time.

The bag was quickly becoming empty, only the sweaters from earlier, and that soft item Branch had determined to be a plushy well over twice his own size. Branch had nearly had a heart attack the first time the plush toy spoke. He’d barely held back a scream at the sudden voice in the dark with him, but when Steven laughed and said “It’s just mister Queasy!” he calmed slightly.

Branch had taken a bit of time to tune out the outside world, or at least as best he could. He was still aware of what was happening, but he tried to turn his attention back to the trolls hiding under the bed. He hoped they had realized what was wrong with Trollex and gotten him water. If not, the mer-troll could be in serious danger…

He let out a squeak as the bag was tossed about again. What could he be grabbing now? He buried himself in the sweaters, and watched through a small space in the fabric. What he was when Steven opened the bag had his breath catch.

The starry sky shone above, and that made him realize something. “Wherever we are, it's night time now… is it night where the others are, to…?” He sighed, rubbing at his temples. Were they worried about him? Had they looked for him? Or had Poppy convinced them he’d gone into hiding…? Anything was possible, he supposed… He just hoped they hadn’t gotten into as much trouble as he had.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud rumbling noise, and he sat up within the bag. He did NOT like the sound of that…. He pushed himself from the pile of sweaters and leapt for the zipper, pulling it open enough for him to watch what happened next.

What he saw next had him truly believe he was in some strange nightmare. The tower around them was crumbling, and he could see water starting to collapse inwards. They would be drowned soon, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it. He let out a whine, and zipped the bag closed. Maybe the bag would protect him for a short while? He could hope…

Branch covered his ears, trying to shut out the terrible noises from outside. He didn’t want to think about this. This could very well be his end… he’d die a grey troll that no one liked…

He gasped sharply as water began to flood into the bag. The fabric doing nothing to prevent its entry. “I’m… I’m not going to make it back… I’m sorry, everyone, I… I’m… huh…?” The water stopped rising after the halfway point in the bag, leaving Branch floating within. He swam to the zipper, wanting to take a look outside, but paused as his hand made contact with the cold metal. “Er… maybe I’ll wait…”

He didn’t have to wait long, as soon the water began to drain out of the bag as Steven pulled himself up out of the water. Branch sighed, not even caring that he was cold and wet, he was just happy to still be alive.

After a days’ worth of anxiety, he had hit his upper limit, and he couldn’t stop his eyes from drooping. “Maybe… I can take a bit of a nap…” He snuggled a little closer to the side against Steven’s back, hoping to get a bit of his warmth, and quickly fell asleep.

It was just unfortunate that it would take the entire night to return to the Beach house.


	7. Poppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy watches as Branch is taken along on his adventure, leaving her and the others to figure out how to save the lone grey troll and the young king of Techno

Poppy watched as Branch slipped out of the hole in the baseboard, and set down her own chunk of carrot. “I’m gonna go see Trollex! Maybe all he needs is a pick me up!” She padded off towards the young king, humming a chipper tune as she did.

When she had made it to Trollex, she knelt at his side and gently shook the young troll's shoulder. “Good morning, sleepyhead! Branch’s gone to get you something to feel better, but I thought I’d stop by and say a morning howdy doody!”

He gave a small shiver, then pushed himself slowly into a sit. When he looked up at her, she let out a small gasp. “Ohmygosh…! Trollex, you look like you got hit by a Caterbus! What’s wrong…?” She reached her hand out, gently brushing a piece of Trollex’s stray hair from his face, checking his temperature as she did.

She almost immediately pulled her hand away with a look of concern. “You’re on fire…! What helps with fevers…? I-I’ll go ask the others!” She stood quickly and spun on her heels, running straight for the other trolls. “Guys, guys! Trollex is sick, he has a fever!”

Trollzart shot a look of concern towards Trollex, who was rubbing his arms as he shivered. “Oh, dear boy…! Perhaps it is this new environment that has him feeling so ill? I do hope Branch returns soon with… whatever he has gone to fetch.”

Barb scratched at her head, looking towards the opening. “Did anyone catch what he was running off to grab? I don’t think he said, but I’m not too sure.”

Prince D shook his head. “Nah, I didn’t hear him mention either.” He looked towards Poppy, who glanced towards the opening Branch had left through. “Poppy, does Branch know something we don’t?”

“Hmm?” She blinked a bit, taking a moment to realize she had been asked a question. “What? Oh, ummm… Probably. He’s a really smart troll, and always comes up with something in a pinch.” She rubbed at her arm, feeling anxious without Branch here. She hadn’t realized just how comfortable she’d become with his presence in this strange place.

“Yeah! He knows lots about taking care of other trolls. He probably went to get something he knows will help Trollex! He—“ Cooper paused mid-sentence, standing straight as his ears turned towards the stairs. “Steven’s up here, but I don’t know if Branch had a chance to hide…”

Poppy felt ice settle in her stomach, and began running towards the hole. She had to check, to see if Branch was safe. If Steven caught him, she’d jump in and explain. He seemed nice, so maybe he’d understand if she just explained what had happened?

As she stepped into the light, she was forced to shield her eyes from the sunlight pouring in. She didn’t have a good enough vantage point to see Branch, or even to guess at where he might have hidden, but she could see Steven.

He seemed focused on his task, stuffing odds and ends into a—“Is… that a backpack that looks like a burger? That is…” She grinned, her eyes practically sparkling. “So cool!”

That was when her eyes caught a smile spot of movement in the rafters above. It was hard to tell at such a distance, but the grey blob was definitely troll shaped. It must be Branch! She glanced towards the ledge hallway up the height of the bed, and used her hair to latch on, pulling herself to the ledge before climbing the blankets the rest of the way up.

As she made it to the top of the bed, she looked up, ready to try and get Branch’s attention. Her heart nearly stopped as she saw Branch now falling from the ceiling. There was nothing she could do from this distance, and the bed was too soft for her to get a good running speed. “Branch…”

She watched helplessly as he fell through the air, landing without a sound in the backpack. She stood, and quickly began running across the bed as Steven turned away, his attention drawn by some object on the floor. She didn’t make it to the bag in time though, and ducked behind a statue made of stone and crystal. She bit her lip as the bag was zipped shut, and Steven ran off with Branch inside.

“Branch… oh no… no no! Ooh, what am I going to do…?” She stood a bit straighter. “I’ve got to calm down… I’ve got to try and save him!” She ran for the edge of the bed, and leapt off. “No troll left behind…!” Her father’s Mantra had always given her courage. During the darkest time in their history, her dad saved everyone! He was a brave hero, and she needed a bit of that bravery today.

But there was no way she could do it alone… she needed help. She shot her hair up, catching the ledge on the beds baseboard before slowing her descent. Once her feet set down on the floorboards, she ran towards the space under the bed, slipping inside and startling the other trolls. “B-Branch! Branch, he—“

Delta held her hands up in a placating manner, using the most soothing voice she could manage. “Whoa, easy now Poppy. What’s got yer tail in a twist?”

She bit her lip before nodding. She took a deep breath. She knew she needed to calm down to explain what she’d seen. “Alright, it’s Branch! Steven was up here, packing a bag for something, and Branch fell into it! I have no idea where they’re going, but we need to get him back!”

They all gasped, Cooper letting out a whine. “Branch… I hope he’s alright…”

Delta folded her arms over her chest, looking worriedly between the hole in the baseboard and Trollex’s shivering form. “We have more immediate things to worry ‘bout. Poppy, Trollzart, you two head after Branch and try to figure out a way to get ‘im outta that bag.” She looked towards Barb and Darnell. “Barb, D, you two head with me to the kitchen to find somethin’ to bring Trollex’s fever down.” She looked towards Cooper last. “Can you stay’n keep Trollex company? Keep ‘im from gettin’ up and movin’ about too much. He needs rest.”

With a nod, Cooper made his way towards Trollex, setting beside him and talking gently to the young king. He seemed a little shocked when Trollex seemed to start clinging to him for warmth. He smiled and wrapped himself gently around the young king.

Poppy had to cover her mouth to hold in the squeal of delight at how cute the two were. As she returned her attention to the group, she realized she wasn’t the only one having trouble not squealing over the site. Of course, the others were doing an admirable job of hiding it.

Delta cleared her throat a bit, trying to retain some dignity while getting the trolls’ attention. “Right, so Poppy and Trollzart, if there’s nothing you can do to get Branch back without getting caught, come meet us on the counter. We can make a plan from there if needed.”

Now that each Troll knew their tasks, they headed their separate ways. Trollzart followed Poppy as she ran out from under the bed, and made her way straight for the stairs. “Think you can keep up, Trollzart? Cause I’m not slowing down!” She leapt off the topmost stair, lashing her hair out to grab hold of the railing. She slid down by her hair, landing lightly at the bottom of the stairs.

She set her hands on her hips, proud of having stuck the landing, but the joy was short lived as she recalled her mission. “Right, Branch!” She looked around for any sign of Steven of his three friends.

She jumped slightly as Trollzart suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into hiding beneath the couch. “Miss Poppy would you PLEASE be more careful? We are not to be seen! What would you have done if they were just around the corner?”

She waved off his concern. “Don’t worry, my man! Look!” She pointed towards the warp pad, which the four giants were standing on. “See? All we gotta do is cause a distraction and get Branch out of Steven’s bag!”

He sighed, rubbing at his temples. “Poppy, it will not be so easy. We need a plan.” He turned towards the warp pad, and gasped.

Poppy’s eyes widened as she watched a bright light envelop the four, interrupted for only a few moments as Steven sucked in his belly. Once the light had dissipated, Poppy was left feeling hollow. “They… they vanished…”

Trollzart looked between the devastated Princess and the crystal Dias that had once held their hope for finding Branch. “Oh no… Branch had said those work as teleporters, correct…? Steven lives here, he must return… and he will most likely have Branch with him. I think we have no choice but to take care of Trollex in Branch’s stead…”

She let out a soft whine, but nodded. “Right… he’ll be back…” She really wanted to believe that… She sighed, and made her way towards the kitchen. “I don’t think we have to worry about being sneaky now that all four are gone.”

With a nod, Trollzart followed behind her. Silence dominated between them, and Poppy found herself hating it. She liked songs and dancing and adventure! Not this icky feeling settled in her stomach. “Hey, Trollzart? Can you tell me about where you’re from?”

He perked up slightly, and smiled down at her. “Why, of course princess Poppy.” He let his eyes shut. “It is a beautiful settlement within the mountain ranges. We carve our homes from the mountains themselves, and use glowing crystals as illumination.” He tapped his chin lightly. “It was one such crystal that brought me here, as I recall.”

“Wait, really?” She reached into the front of her dress, pulling the small crystal out by the cord. “Like this one?” She took it off, and tossed it up to Trollzart, who caught it mid-air.

He analyzed it for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, exactly the same as a matter of fact. Where did you get this stone from?” He dropped it into her waiting hands.

“Dad gave it to me. He said it was passed to the youngest royal in the family when they came of age. What about your crystal?”

“It was installed as a light fixture in the amphitheatre our ancestors built… Seems both can be traced very far back in our histories. If each tribe had one, perhaps they were around before the strings?”

She nodded a little. “I still don’t get the whole string thing. I know Prince D. explained it, but I didn’t know Pop had this powerful musical string. Dad definitely didn’t mention it…”

“I know where the Classical string is, I normally carry it with me as the core to my baton, but I did not bring it with me when I went to the stage. As such, it is still within Symphonyville. I do hope the other Classical trolls are not up in a tizzy over my absence…”

Poppy stopped in her tracks, and face palmed. “Ooh, no! Trollzart, all of our families! They must be so worried about us…The worst part is we can’t tell them we’re ok! Did anyone see you get pulled here?”

He shook his head. “No. I was alone on the stage, to the best of my knowledge.” He paused, looking up to the top of the counter. “Oh! I had not noticed how close we were to our destination.”

She blinked in surprise, looking up as well. “Oh! Well, gee, would you look at that!” He began searching for a hold her hair could reach, but she couldn’t see any she was sure of. “Um… Trollzart, I don’t know how I’m going to get up there.”

He hummed softly, before flying into position above her, holding a hand out to her. “Grab hold. I will try and fly us to the top.” She grinned, and grabbed onto his hands. He let out a huff as he began to lift them both, wincing slightly at the strain. “My, trolls are certainly more difficult to carry than instruments! Could you please stop moving, princess Poppy? You are throwing off my balance!”

She blushed, going as still as she could. “Sorry, Trollzart! I’ve just never flown like this before. It’s really cool!”

Once they finally made it to the countertop, he flopped onto it, panting lightly as he tried to regain his composure and dignity. “My… I… I am out of shape, I fear… hah…”

Any hope for his dignity was lost though, as Poppy scooped him up into her arms. “Since you helped me up, I’ll carry you till we get to Delta and the others!” He was clearly too tired to move, but that didn’t stop the rosy red blush from heating up his face.

As she walked along the counter, humming a peppy tune, she couldn’t help thinking about what Branch was doing right now. Most likely panicking and staying hidden in the bag. At least, she hoped.

As she made it to the kitchen sink, she peered over the edge, and spotted Delta, D, and Barb standing around a dry washcloth. “Ho! Hello everyone!” She hopped down into the sink, letting Trollzart go as he floated up, coughing slightly in embarrassment.

Delta took a quick look towards the sinks edge, then back towards Poppy. “No luck gettin’ Branch back, I take?”

She shook her head, frowning a little. “No. They used that warp pad. Trollzart said they’ll probably be back with him later, as long as he can keep out of sight and stay in the bag. And that’s pretty much exactly what he’s going to do.”

With a nod, Delta addressed all the trolls present. “Right. Well then, it’s up to us to get Trollex somethin’ to help break that fever o’ his. Poppy, can you keep a look out and turn on the tap? I think a cold cloth ought to help ‘im.”

With a nod, Poppy stretched her hair up to the faucet, and pulled herself up. In a panic, Trollzart flew out of the sink before calling down to the other trolls. “I am not so good with water, sadly. I will go ahead to the hide away and check on Cooper and Trollex.” When he got a nod from Delta, he flitted off towards the bedroom.

It had been a very long time since Trollzart had last dealt with so much excitement. His old bones had a hard time keeping up with the young trolls, but at least he was able to offer his wisdom and his wings when necessary.

As he flitted through the air, something gave him pause. He altered his course, heading for a large painting that hung above the door. The subject within seemed to be a kindly woman, with thick pink curls of hair and a flowing dress, her expression serene. “How odd… I have not seen this one yet. Perhaps she is not around at the moment?” He shook his head. “No matter, I have a task I must see to. Questions can wait until another time.”

He flitted off once again, crossing the distance to the bed quickly before slipping through the hole leading underneath. “I’ve returned, Cooper. Has King Trollex improved at all?” He got his answer quickly, as spotted Cooper trying to sooth Trollex, who was shaking and crying out in his sleep. He dashed over, stopping to hover above the two trolls. “Cooper, what happened?”

Cooper shook his head, looking very distressed. “I-I don’t know! He started to sound all panicky, so I tried to give him a hug and he started to cry! I don’t know what to do…!”

Trollzart lowered himself to sit next to the young king, setting the back of his head to his cheek. “My goodness… such a terrible fever…!”

When Trollzart’s hand touched Trollex, he let out a soft whimper, pressing his cheek into the cool hand. “D-Dad… mom…”

His eyes widened at that, and he looked towards Cooper. “His parents… could he be having a fever dream about them?”

Trollex curled into Trollzart, clinging to his hand. “Don’t…. stay away… dad it’s… the shark… mom…!” Trollex suddenly sat up with a cry, clutching at his chest as he looked around with wild eyes, seeking whatever danger he had just lived through.

Trollzart and Cooper, who had been startled into leaping back, approached again. He set his hand gently on the young king’s shoulder. “Trollex, you are alright. There are no sharks here; you’ve no need to fear…”

He seemed to calm slightly at the reassurance, but was still on edge. “I… shark…” he shook his head, rubbing at the back of his neck. “My mom and… my dad…”

With a gentle hand, Trollzart gently guided Trollex back into a laid back position. “Rest, Trollex. You are sick right now, you need to remain calm.”

Calm wasn’t something he could do right now though, it seemed. He began to sob softly, hiccupping as he buried his face with his hands. “It’s… my fault… my parents are gone, and… it’s all my fault…”

Trollzart shook his head, rubbing the others back. “I doubt that very much, Trollex. You seem like such a kind young troll.”

“I’m not though…!” He looked up at Trollzart, his eyes blurry and filled with tears. “My parents… they had wanted to show me the world outside our reef… I got carried away and wasn’t paying attention… I chased after a light, and it turned out to be a shark… they saved me, but… it got them instead…it’s my fault they…” He hiccupped, his sobs drowning out whatever remained of the tale.

He could feel his heart breaking. That certainly explained why a 17 year old was handed the throne… Trollzart sat beside the young kin and pulled him into a gentle side hug, starting to hum a calming melody as he rubbed gentle circles into Trollex’s back.

The sobbing troll slowly began to calm, leaning more and more of his weight into Trollzart’s side, until he realized that Trollex was now snoring softly. He looked to Cooper, and found that he had fallen asleep on Trollzart’s other side. With a soft smile, he finished the song he was humming. It was like when his children would have nightmares and come to him for solace. He missed those times…

He quickly dried his eyes as he heard the other trolls returning, Poppy stepping inside first, followed by Delta with a damp cloth hanging between them. He did his best to wake Cooper, nudging him slightly. “Cooper, I think they need some help… Shall we?”

With a sniff and a shake of his head, Cooper yawned and began to stand. “Mmm…. Mhm…” He began to stagger sleepily towards the other trolls, waking up along the way. Trollzart chuckled softly, before looking towards Trollex. He seemed like he may be a little lighter…

A bit of shifting around, and Soon Trollzart was flying again, Trollex snuggled into his chest as he carried him. “Amazing… he is so light…!” It wasn’t long after that when they had Trollex thoroughly wrapped like a burrito in a damp towel nest, and he couldn’t look happier as he hunkered into it, sleeping soundly once more.

Now, they had to wait for Branch to return, and they could find a more permanent solution for whatever was ailing Trollex.


	8. Trollzart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, Steven returns from the Lunar Sea spire with Branch in tow, but the poor trolls work isn't done just yet!

At first, the trolls had all agreed that they would take turns keeping watch over the ailing Trollex, as well as waiting for Branch to return. That plan had quickly dissolved as the young trolls began to argue amongst themselves as to who could stay up the longest.

Trollzart chuckled softly as he rested his wings, watching the antics from his bed, which was a sock the others had found and deemed perfect for his small stature. He didn’t mind really, if he rolled up the toes and folded the ankle over it made a good, soft mattress and blanket, complete with pillow!

He of course found himself homesick. By now he would have been at home, reading one of his favourite books over a cup of warm tea. And now he was here, the eldest as usual amongst a gaggle of young trolls. He watched as Barb poked at Poppy’s side, while the young princess of Pop tried not to giggle from the tickling.

Poppy swatted at Barb’s hand playfully, before tackling the other and beginning a full blown tickle fight. Cooper was quick to join in as well, with Delta and Prince D laughing at the others' antics. It warmed his soul to see the young trolls enjoying themselves, even in a situation as terrifying as the one they were in now.

He perked up when he heard a strange sound, and flitted up into the air. “Did everyone hear that?” The group went silent, listening as best they could to whatever noises were coming from the house around them. “I think… Steven has returned!”

Poppy leapt to her feet, staring up at the bottom of the bed. “Are they back? I’m going to check!” She tried to run for the hole, but was stopped by a gentle hand from Delta.

“Now hold it right there lil miss. Let’s wait for everythin’ to quiet down…” There was some audible rustling above, signalling Steven climbing into bed. A few moments later, Steven’s snoring could be heard.

Delta gave a small nod to Poppy, releasing her hold on the other. Poppy ran towards the entrance, but stopped halfway as an extremely ragged and tired looking Branch half-stumbles through the hole. “Branch…!” She closed the remaining distance, pulling him into a tight hug.

She seemed shocked when Branch returned the hug, clinging to her tightly with shaking hands. “Poppy… it’s good to be back…”

A few moments later, he seemed to realize what was happening. He pried himself from her grasp and crossed his arms, looking away in an attempt to hide his glowing blush. Trollzart chuckled softly, trying to relieve some of the attention from Branch’s small slip in character. “Branch, where have you been? Poppy said you had fallen in Steven’s backpack, but suddenly Steven and the three other women vanished!”

Branch perked up slightly, looking up towards Trollzart. “Oh, yeah. Well, it was a pretty wild ride…” He began to relay the tale of his adventure at the lunar sea spire, yawning more and more frequently as he told the story.

As he concluded, he barely managed to stifle another yawn behind his hand. “N’ it took… all night to get here. I couldn’t sleep cause… I didn’t…” He yawned again. “Didn’t wanna get caught…mmm…” He swayed slightly. “I need to sleep…”

He began to stagger towards the sleeping area, but paused when he saw Trollex. “Trollex? He doing any better…?”

Delta shook her head, keeping close to the staggering troll. “Not yet. His fever came down a mite after we gave him a cold towel, but it’s goin back up again. We thought you might know how ta ‘elp ‘im?”

He nodded, mumbling something softly. Trollzart flitted forward a bit. “Pardon, but what did you say?”

With a quiet grumble, he reiterated what he said. “Water… need to get him water to rest in… he is aquatic, after all…”

Realization seemed to dawn on the other trolls, and Poppy let out a groan. Why hadn’t any of them put the dots together? Trollzart felt so foolish; of course a troll with aquatic features like Trollex would require water!

Branch sighed, clearly frustrated at the collective lack of realization until this moment. “I’ll help you guys get him a bowl…” He turned to head out, but stumbled as he did. Delta was at his side in a moment, catching the poor tired troll.

He let out a sigh, practically melting into the others embrace. “I don’t think I can go anywhere…”

He let out a sharp, surprised yelp as he was suddenly scooped up into Delta’s powerful arms. “No kiddin’! I’m puttin’ you ta bed and we’re gonna get that water.” Her words fell on deaf ears however, as Branch was already practically asleep, snuggling into Delta’s chest with a small muttered “Warm”.

Delta’s face was nearly as red as her hair as she silently walked towards the sleeping area. Trollzart flew after her, smiling down at Branch. “He may borrow my bed for the time being. It is warm and soft after all.”

With a nod, Delta set about tucking Branch into the sock bed. He seemed reluctant to allow Delta to pull away, but it was easy enough to do with how tired he was. Poppy stepped up behind the two elder trolls, poking her fingers together nervously. “Could… I stay with him? For a little at least. Branch isn’t normally alright with hugs and trolls touching him, so I want to make sure he’s alright… Besides, someone has to keep an eye on Trollex, too.”

Trollzart nodded, and smiled softly at the young princess. “Yes, of course Poppy. Delta and I will fetch the water; you and the others can stay and keep an eye on everything here.” She returned the smile, but she was clearly more focused on Branch’s sleeping form.

Once the two were certain the younger trolls would be alright, Trollzart and Delta stepped out from under the bed. They knew by the orange hues of the bedroom that the sun had just begun to rise. “It would seem that it is still early morning. We must stay as quiet as we are able, lest we wake Steven.” Trollzart glanced to the upper edge of the bed, hearing Steven’s soft snores.

Delta nodded a bit, making her way towards the stairs. “Right, I’ll worry ‘bout the heavy liftin’ on the way back. You keep an eye out and tell me where ta hide if I need it.” As she began to leap down the steps, Trollzart followed behind, glancing over his shoulder towards the bed.

He could see Steven snuggled into the blankets on the bed, sleeping soundly. The backpack lay discarded on the floor, and Trollzart assumed that he had been too tired to put it away. As he watched Steven sleep, he couldn’t help but recall peeking in on his little ones when they were young, just to make sure they were sleeping.

From what he could tell, Steven was young. What few others of his species he’d seen were all much larger than him, and he had the tendency to act like a young troll would. That thought worried Trollzart, especially after the tale Branch had told them. It sounded like there was a lot of danger in this world.

His thoughts were interrupted by an inpatient tapping noise, and he turned to see Delta several steps down the stairs, glaring at him as she tapped her hoof on the stairs. He blushed a sunset red and flew to catch up to her. “My apologies Delta, I was distracted.”

“By Steven?” She continued along on her descent of the stairs, sticking to the remaining morning shadows.

He nodded. “Yes. I get the impression that he is but a child. You heard of the adventure he mistakenly took Branch on. It sounds so very dangerous! I would certainly never permit my children on an adventure such as that…”

Delta paused a moment, giving the other a curious look. “Oh right, I forgot for a while that yer older than me. Still somehow didn’t put two ‘n’ two together and guess you’re a dad.”

He puffed his chest a bit. “I’m far more than just a father, Delta. I am a grandfather, as well!” He deflated at the sound of the others snickering. “And what, pray tell, is so funny?”

Delta had her hands clasped over her mouth, clearly trying her level best to keep herself from laughing too loudly. “Well. S’just that most trolls ain't too happy 'bout gettin’ older, n’here you are so happy 'bout it!”

“Please do not get confused, Delta. Like most trolls I do not enjoy getting older, but I am indeed proud of those that come after me. I have so many wonderful children and grandchildren, all of which have their own special talents and personalities…” He looked back towards the upper floor again. “And I worry for Steven now.”

Delta looked back as well, stopping on the last step. “I get you think he’s a kid, Trollzart, but we don’t know nothin’ bout him. Let’s focus on the trolls we got with us for now, and save our worry for getting us all outta this safe.” She leapt down the final step, and made her way towards the kitchen. “Sides, even if he is a kid, he’s still huge! He can take care of ‘imself, I’m sure. Kids in Lonesome Flats can take care of ‘emselves right quick.”

He knew that she was right, but he couldn’t help his instinct to help. He sighed, following after her again. Perhaps if he was careful about it, he could help the boy? He could come out when everyone was normally asleep, and tidy up a little while searching for supplies. For now though he had to admit, Delta was right. They had a sick young troll who needed water.

This could be a challenge, now that he recalled how high the counters were.

“Delta, how have you been getting up onto the counters? It is a staggering height for a troll with no wings…” He glanced over to her, and was shocked to see her unwrapping a rope from her waist. “Where did you get that?”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “I forgot; I ain’t showed you yet. I’ve been asked that every dang time I pull it out. It’s a rope I started carryin’ round after the first time I came down here with Branch. I didn’t like that he needed to check the counter while I stayed down here, so I managed to rustle somethin’ up I could use to get ‘round.”

He hummed softly, rather impressed by the other's ingenuity. He moved back in the air to give her a bit of space when she began to spin the rope above her head. After gathering enough momentum, she threw the looped end of the rope up, managing to hook it onto a handle near the top. He whistled softly. “Very impressive, Delta! I suppose I will see you at the top?” With a nod of confirmation from Delta, he flew on ahead.

Once he rose above the edge of the counter, he paused to wait for Delta to catch up. As he looked out over the room, he found it rather interesting the stark difference between the wooden space and the stone one. It was as though the building had been split in half, or perhaps added afterwards? He found his eyes drawn once again to the woman in the painting, staring at the woman’s calm visage in the ever growing morning light.

He perked up as he heard Delta’s hoof clip on the counter, and turned to find her winding the rope up once more. “You hardly even seem tired Delta; you truly are an impressive troll!”

She tried to hide her blush behind her bountiful hair. “Er, right…Uhhh, lets just get that bowl o’ water and get back to the others.” She began to make her way towards the sink, keeping a few paces ahead of the elder troll.

As they stepped up to the edge of the sink, Trollzart flew over towards the dishrack. He could see a few bowls, but most seemed very heavy, even without the water they needed inside of it. That was when he spotted a light looking plastic Tupperware bowl. He grabbed hold of it, and sure enough it was light enough for him to carry when empty. “Delta, I think I found the perfect bowl for our needs. Perhaps if we can find something we can seal, we can carry the water back far easier.”

Delta nodded, making her way towards the fridge. “I've seen some water in here before. It’d be easier to carry bottles, and the cold might be good for bringin’ Trollex’s fever down. I’ll grab a bottle and meet ya down there.” She slung the rope off of her shoulder and looped it around the drawer handle below.

He hoisted the bowl up into the air, beating his wings a bit harder to counter the added weight. It was a slow journey towards the floor, but he didn’t really want to risk dropping like a stone. Once he was close enough, he set the bowl down and let out a huff. He glanced over in time to see Delta rolling a bottle of water towards him.

He tilted his head slightly, looking at the condensation gathering quickly on the outside of the bottle. “Will this perhaps be too cold for him immediately? Though it will take time to return… perhaps the movement will have warmed it by then.”

Delta nodded. “That’s what I’m hopin’ for. We better hustle now and worry 'bout cold later.” She began to roll the bottle towards the stairs, forced to take it slowly so the water didn’t slosh about and get away from her.

He lifted the bowl into the air, flying after her. As they made their way across the open expanse, he glanced over through the main door. “The sun has risen it seems.” He looked down towards Delta. “We may have to suggest Trollex take trips to the water below each day. I think that would be better than spending his days in stale water.”

She hummed. “Ya, We’ll pitch the idea tomorrow. Think he’d be excited?” She slowed the bottle to a stop as they reached the stairs. She began to unwind the rope again, tying one end around the neck of the bottle.

“I believe he would be ecstatic, after all a breeze is always preferable for flight to stale air. I can easily imagine it being similar for aquatic species in the water.” He watched as she rolled the bottle to the edge of the stairs and set it on the upward slope. It was a fascinating process to watch, especially once Delta began to leap up the stairs one at a time.

Once at the top, she took up the other end of the rope and began to pull the bottle slowly to the top. “Quite ingenious…!” He followed the bottle up, carrying the bowl as he did. Once at the top, the two trolls took a moment to catch their breath. Each step was double or more their own height, and the objects they were carrying weren’t much smaller.

“Nearly done, Delta. Then we can rest a while…” He sighed, grabbing up the bowl once more as he flew the short distance that remained. It took some work and the help of the trolls still awake within, but they eventually managed to fit the bowl through the space. The bottle was much easier, as they just had to set it on its side and push it through lengthwise.

Poppy smiled brightly when she saw what the two had managed to bring back. “This is so cool! Come on; let’s get it set up!” She ran over to the bottle, holding it up for Barb so she could unscrew the cap.

With the younger trolls taking care of it, Trollzart and Delta saw this as their opportunity to finally rest. She tucked her legs under herself and sighed as she sagged forward a bit. “Whooo-wee… That was one heck‘uva workout…”

Trollzart nodded, setting down on his feet before falling backwards into a sit. His wings felt tingly at the joints and heavier than they had in years. He almost wanted to take off his conductor's vest, but he had nothing else to change into. He absently rubbed at the golden gem set in his stomach as he absently wished he had his wardrobe here. Or at least one change of clothes.

He perked up a bit as he watched the water pouring into the bowl, and guessed that it would leave about a quarter of the water in the bottle. Good, they would have extra to drink for a while. Once the bowl was filled, Poppy dipped her hand in. “Oh wow, it’s a bit chilly!”

“Ya, sorry ‘bout that. Only bottle I could find were in the fridge.” She was fanning herself lightly in an attempt to cool herself. "Figured it pro'ly wouldn’t be too far from the ocean by the time we got it here.”

Barb peered into the water through the plastic bowl, then gave a shrug. “Only one way to find out, right? Let’s throw the tadpole in!” She ran over towards the towel that Trollex was bundled into, leaving the remaining trolls too stunned by her sudden statement to react. She quickly scooped him up, with little reaction from the young king.

Trollzart pushed himself up and into the air, holding up his hands to try and get Barb’s attention. “Come now Barb, perhaps we should be a bit gentler with this? Trollex is already in a fairly poor state, we would hate to shock his system…”

Barb shook her head, walking straight past Trollzart. When she reached the bowl, she leapt up onto the edge with one strong jump. “He’s barely holding on Butterfly, I’m not waiting.”

Trollzart hardly had time to process the nickname Barb had given him before she set Trollex into the water. The trolls watched as Trollex suddenly jolted awake, eyes darting about in a panic. Barb suddenly leapt into the water, catching Trollex by surprise and sending him darting into the bottom corner.

Barb grinned at him, holding her breath as she gestured around herself. That seemed to clue Trollex in as he looked around. He grinned, closing his eyes as his body relaxed completely. “Oh man, water! You guys went out and got me water?” He pressed his face to the plastic, and seemed confused by their shocked expressions. “What’s wrong?”

Poppy blinked a bit, staring at him. “How are you talking under water?”

He looked between all the trolls, and when he realized they were genuinely confused about that little fact, he snickered a bit, covering his mouth in an attempt to hide his giggles. “I live in the water, guys, and I talk to you like a normal troll, don’t I? If I couldn’t talk under water, what makes you think I’d be able to talk on land?”

Now that he heard it in such a matter-of-fact tone, Trollzart couldn’t help but agree that it made sense. He sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

Barb popped her head out of the water and laughed, paddling to the edge of the bowl before pulling herself out. “Dude, that’s so cool!” She jumped down to the floor, and shook out her hair. Poppy laughed, dancing out of the way of the spray of water.

Trollex snickered, but a moment later shut his eyes, holding his head lightly. “Oof… My head still hurts…”

Trollzart perked up slightly, and fluttered over to the bowl. Hovering above the water, he stuck his hand into it and pressed his hand lightly against Trollex’s forehead to check his temperature. He had a moment to notice that despite the cold water, he could tell that Trollex was still very warm, before he heard a soft chirping sound.

His eyes were drawn to his hand in the water, where Trollex was nuzzling into his palm gently. He could tell the sounds were coming from Trollex, but the soft chirps and clicks sounded familiar. He had heard them on his visits to the coastline at the base of the mountains. “You sound like… a dolphin?”

Trollex’s eyes suddenly widened, and he clapped his hands over his mouth. “Shoot! I ahh, haha… uh…” He blushed brightly, hiding his face behind his hands. “I-It’s uh… a Techno troll thing, we have little chirps and clicks like dolphins and orcas…But it’s usually only the kids that do it like that…!”

Poppy let out a happy squeal, dancing in place. “Trollex that’s so cute!” The troll in question let out a whine, curling into a ball with his fins covering his head.

Trollzart pressed his hands to his mouth, doing his absolute best not to cry out in joy as Poppy had. That was one of the most adorable things he’d had the pleasure to be part of in years. Instead he cleared his throat in his best attempt to suppress the laugh in his voice. “Ahem, um, I believe we should leave Trollex to rest for now, heh, uh…” It was clear to all he had failed in his quest.

Trollex let out a soft whine. “I’m never living this down…”

Barb was holding her stomach as she cackled, full on snort laughing as Poppy tried her best to shush the other, hiding her own giggles behind admonishment for the other.

Even after all they’d been through already, Trollzart was glad they could find joy in each other’s company.


	9. Barb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barb and Trollex decide to go for an adventure, and learn a little about the people they live with.

Barb had been terrified when she first landed in this strange new place with all these trolls of different kingdoms. Sure, her dad king Thrash, had told her a little bit about the other types of trolls, but she hadn’t expected most of them to look so different from her as well.

After the first few days, she’d build up a pretty good relationship with those she talked to often like King Trollex, Poppy, Cooper, and Prince D. They were the youngest of all the trolls brought, and all fell within nearly the same age range. She felt she could finally say she had real friends, and she couldn’t be happier!

This had been why she stuck close to the new addition to their temporary home. She had ended up falling asleep with her cheek pressed against the cool plastic of the bowl Trollex was currently sleeping in. She was startled awake though when a light tapping on the plastic under her cheek made her jump. She looked around for a moment before her eyes fell on Trollex, who was grinning nervously from inside the bowl.

She gave a little head tilt and stood up, climbing to the edge of the bowl and leaning forward into it. Trollex’s head broke the surface a moment later and he smiled up at her. “Sorry about that, Barb. I was up for a while, and wondered if you wanted to sneak out to get some breakfast?”

A grin split her face and she nodded. She and he had been planning on sneaking out at least one day to get a feel for the place, but before they could Trollex had gotten dried out. Now that he seemed back to normal, she was more than happy to go exploring! She offered a hand to the other. “Come on, I’ll help you outta that bowl, and we can get going.”

She did her best to help Trollex out of the water quietly, but the wet patches on the floorboards were impossible to prevent. As she helped him down, she found herself surprised when he stood upright on his fins. “Dude, I didn’t know you could stand on your own, I didn’t really think your fins worked like that.”

He gave a small shrug before needing to stick his arms out to his sides, swinging them a bit to keep his balance. “I’ve been curious about it myself. I wasn’t sure I could, but I figured I’d try it while I dry off. I still can’t walk like you guys though…”

She began to circle around him, humming softly to herself before watching her own feet and legs while she moved. It couldn’t be that different from standing to walking, right? She returned her attention to Trollex and grinned. “I’m going to teach you how to walk.”

His eyes light up, literally as much as metaphorically. “Wait, really? You can do that?”

She shrugged. How hard could it be? She moved to stand in front of him, and held out her hands. “Come on, we can at least give it our best shot.” And so they started slow, with Barb guiding each of Trollex’s forward steps. He leaned heavily on her at first, but with each step he grew more confident. Soon he let go of her hands, holding his arms out for balance.

He grinned at her, and she couldn’t help but watch proudly as he took a few confident steps forward. Of course, she had to hold her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing when he fell flat on his face. “Alright, so I’m not a master yet. I don’t exactly have legs, y’know?”

He let out an indignant huff when he saw her trying to stifle her giggles, pushing himself up to kneel on his fins. “How do other trolls walk like this anyway? Swimming is a lot easier…” He stood once again, taking a few more cautious steps forward. “I can’t wait till I dry off again…”

Barb hummed softly, sticking close to him as they walked slowly for the entrance. “Why is that anyway? Why do you have to dry off?”

“Well, I’m not too sure, but I think it’s just something to do with adaptation? We needed to be able to get around outside of the water, but it wasn’t perfect I guess… But I think I know what it’s called.” He tapped at his cheek lightly as he thought. “I think I remember one of me lessons being about our abilities, and this one’s called Flow.”

“Really? What are the others called? And what else can you do?” She stepped out from under the bed, shielding her eyes from the morning light. It had been a couple of days since Branch had returned and they’d gotten Trollex his bowl. 

Trollex began to count out on his fingers. “Well, you’ve seen Flow in action, and I have heart beat bubbles. I can use those to let non aquatic trolls breath underwater. Or, well, that’s what they told me. I also have track skip. That lets me do a sort of...dash? I guess it’s a dash…” He sighed, looking down at his arms and lightly brushing the scales there. “I’d show you, but I’m still a little wet.”

She nodded a bit, then glanced up towards the edge of the bed. She couldn’t hear anything right now, so Steven was either still asleep, or out of the house. “We can wait here a minute, wait for that flow thing of yours to kick in. How’s that sound, Guppy?” She chuckled when he gave her a light punch on the shoulder for the nickname.

Truth was she wasn’t very good at remembering real names. She’d always given strange nicknames to things, as it helped her eventually remember the real name. For now, she’d been switching from Fish stick to guppy with the young king.

As agreed, they decided to wait for Trollex to dry, and the fastest way was in the sun. With Barb going on ahead to make sure the coast was clear, they made their way towards the large floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite side of the bed. Once there, they sat on the small ledge and enjoyed the warm sun.

The two continued to chat, watching as the sun lit up what little they could see of the beach from their vantage. Trollex leaned up against the window, sighing wistfully as he stared out towards the ocean. “I wish I could go for a swim out there…”

She pressed her cheek to the glass, watching the waves lap gently at the sand. “What’s stopping you? When you’re dry you could just fly there. It’s not like Steven can find you under water, from what I can tell he ain’t aquatic like you.”

He nodded a bit, but looked down at his fins. “It’s not really safe though, trust me. Open water is no place for a lone Techno troll…” he rubbed at his arm, and she could tell in an instant that this went a lot deeper than he was letting on.

She set a hand on his shoulder, startling him slightly. “Trollex, you belong in the water. I would think most Techno trolls would happily dive in! Heck, I want to! So why are you so scared?” She hadn’t meant the last part to sound as abrasive as it was.

He bristled slightly, pushing her hand off his shoulder. “I’m not scared! I just…” He sighed a little. “I just know what can happen down there, that’s all…”

They sat in silence for a while, Trollex eventually returning to watching the waves while Barb watched him. She knew there was more to the story, but it seemed he wasn’t ready to share yet. For now, she wanted to get his mind off of it. “Hey, you think your flow thing is working yet?”

Based on how surprised he looked, she guessed he’d forgotten he’d been waiting to dry off. He stood up on his fins, then pushed off the floor, floating slightly upwards into the air. He grinned brightly at her. “Yup!”

“Cool, then let’s- Whoa, slow down!” She had stood up quickly, ready to set off on their adventure, when He had suddenly come up behind her and lifted her into the air. When he hushed her, she remembered they weren’t supposed to be making such a ruckus. She clapped her hands over her mouth, and watched as the floor fell away below her.

At first it was terrifying! She’d never been this high up before aside from the side of the volcano, but even then her feet were still firmly planted on the ground. Here? She was relying on her friend not to drop her. The experience was quickly turning from fear to wonder however as she admired the view from above.

As Trollex flew up to the rafters, he glanced down occasionally to see Barb warming up to the flight. He smiled brightly, happy to be able to share this with someone he counted amongst his friends. He missed those he had in Techno reef, and really missed Beat, but he was making new friends. Every one of the trolls here had been so kind to him.

He set her down gently on the wooden beam and moved to hover beside her. She immediately pulled him into a hug as she laughed cheerily. “Dude that was great! I’ve never BEEN so high before!” She released him and did a little spin on the beam.

“No problem, Barb, but please be careful! This thing isn’t as wide as you’d think. Didn’t Branch fall off once already?” He’d eventually been told just what happened while he was sick from dehydration, and he still felt responsible for Branch having been put through so much.

With an eye roll, Barb relented and stepped more towards the center of the beam. “Better?” When she got a nod from the other, she began to make her way towards the kitchen. “Come on, I’ve got the munchies!”

Trollex followed behind, helping her to leap from one beam to another whenever needed. It wasn’t long before they found themselves above the kitchen. Unfortunately they were forced to wait as Steven seemed to be occupied with it at the moment. “What do you figure he’s doing?”

Trollex shook his head, watching as the boy bellow darted about, gathering what seemed to be things for food. “I think he’s making his breakfast, but… what is he making it with?”

Barb watched him closely. “Um… I think those are waffles?” She gave a little nod as she watched Steven douse them in syrup. “Yup, definitely waffles. That’s pretty cool! We have a lot of the same foods as this place does. I’m glad!”

He looked at her quizzically. “Speak for yourself; we never had anything like that in Techno reef.” He perked up when he heard a sharp beeping noise, and looked down to see Steven pulling a paper bag from the microwave, before dumping its contents over the waffles. “Now what’s he adding?”

She wiped her chin lightly, making sure she wasn’t drooling. “Dude, that’s popcorn! Oh man, I gotta snag us a bit of that… somehow anyway. It looks REALLY good!” She chuckled at Trollex’s increasing confusion. “I guess you wouldn’t have this stuff in the water, it needs heat and stuff to make. Plus, soggy bread is just a bummer.”

He folded his arms over his chest, brow arched curiously. “Riiight, ok then… Wait, Barb, what’s going on over there?” He pointed towards the Warp pad as it began to glow. Soon a beam of light shot from it, vanishing again to reveal the tallest of Steven’s apparent caretakers. The boy perked up immediately, and ran towards the woman on the crystal dais.

“Garnet, there you are!” He picked up the plate, holding it up for Garnet’s inspection. “Look! It may not be the healthiest breakfast, but…” Barb had a feeling that this wasn’t going to end well. “It’s in a stack, so…I guess you could say it’s…” The grin that split Steven’s face would have lit up the darkest night. “A balanced breakfast?”

Barb nearly fell off of the beam she had taken a seat on, hiding her face in her hands as she did her best to hide her laughter. A small peak between her fingers and she could see Trollex beside her, clutching his stomach as he shook with silent laughter. How bad could Steven be if he made jokes and puns THAT awesome?

Garnet seemed to be the only one unaffected by the joke, standing as expressionlessly as ever. Barb felt a chill crawl up her spine, and quickly pulled Trollex into hiding, pressing herself and him to the wooden beam. She chanced a peak over the edge, and nearly screamed when she saw Garnet’s head tilted up towards their location.

She ducked her head back down, and looked over to see Trollex just as distressed as she was. Had they been found out? After a few moments of silence, she heard Steven speak again. “Uum, Garnet…?”

“Oh, sorry Steven, I… thought I saw something.” And so she resumed her prior talk with Steven, allowing Barb and Trollex to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Oh gosh, I think I had a heart attack there…” She looked over to see Trollex sitting on the beam, holding his chest as his heart went a mile a minute. She still found it so cool that she could tell what he was feeling just by how his heart raced.

“Ya, for sure dude, I hear ya.” She returned to watching the exchange going on below. “I think we have to watch out for that lady… Garnet? Was that her name?”

He nodded a bit. “Aah, yeah. At least this trip is educational, I guess. Branch had been trying to remember the three others' names after all.”

It seemed that Garnet was done with her business in the house now, and had taken Steven’s phone with her towards the door past the warp pad, holding her hands out to it. Barb leapt to her feet in shock as two of the stones embedded into the door began to glow, two lines beginning to appear from the upper corners of it, meeting in the middle to split the door in half the rest of the way.

As the door split open along its new seams, the woman stepped through. Steven was quick to try and follow, but was forced to halt his chase as the door shut in his face. “Aw, man! Garnet, come on, open up!” He began to rub his stomach on the door. “Open up, temple!”

As Steven made his way dejectedly back towards the kitchen, the door suddenly slammed open. Barb nearly fell off the beam in her shock, but was thankfully caught by Trollex, who had grabbed her in his fright. Barb could admit she was used to loud noise, but sudden loud noises still made her jump.

Once the two Trolls regained themselves and were able to return their attention below, they saw a purple creature similar to Steven’s dad, holding what seemed to be a water gun, laughing at Steven. The boy was currently pulling himself off of the floor, shirt now soaked. What had they missed?

A moment later, the purple one’s head suddenly changed, glowing with a purple light before taking on the more familiar appearance of the short purple haired woman Steven was often seen with. Barb stared slack jawed at that. “Dude, they can change how they look? That’s a lil’ like Popsqueak’s hair!”

Trollex blinked for a moment, staring at Barb as he processed what she said. “Popsqeak…? Wait, do you mean Poppy?” He looked down, and this time the purple girls’ body matched her head. “I mean, I guess you’re right, but Poppy and Branch can’t change how they look.”

As Steven picked himself up again, he groaned. “Amethyst, I knew that was you!”

Trollex hummed softly. “So, Amethyst is the purple one, and she can change what she looks like?”

Barb gave a small nod, watching the exchange between Steven and Amethyst. “That’s a gemstone name… same with Garnet before.”

His ear fins perked up and he looked towards Barb. “Wait, really? Are you sure?”

With a nod, she pointed down towards Amethyst. “Yeah, hers is a purple crystal.” She gestured towards the door Garnet had gone through before. “And the other’s name is from a dark red one. Kinda like what color they are.”

As if on cue, the door at the other end opened, this time with a purple line that seemed to have dissolved the door at an angle. The palest of the three women stepped out, holding up a sword. Barb’s eyes sparked as she looked at the blade. “Whoa… that’s so cool! I totally want one, man!”

Trollex shook his head, biting at his lip. “Trust me, you don’t. They bring with them nothing but trouble…”

She glanced over to him, but he was looking directly at the sword, rubbing his arms nervously. “Trollex, this about your parents?” He made a choking sound, staring at her in utter shock. She’d got it right, that was for sure.

“I-I uh, um…” He let out a small whine. “Alright, fine. Yeah, it’s about my parents. My family has a lot of weapons for royal use on outings, but I’d told my dad to leave ours behind. They…” He swallowed thickly. “They were eaten by a shark on that same outing. It was almost me, but… they saved my scales.”

She stared up at him, and felt something she didn’t feel often, at least not with trolls she’d just met. She rose into a crouch, and pulled him in for a proper hug. For a moment he was shocked, but slowly melted into the embrace. “Sorry for bringing it up, man, I just… I heard that something happened to your parents, but I just… didn’t think it was like that.” She pulled out of the hug, giving him a small smile. “But you got us, and I for one, don’t plan on getting munched by a shark.” She tapped her chin lightly. “Not too sure 'bout the others, but I can’t see them tasting all that good.”

Trollex snickered softly, grinning at her. “Yeah, alright… I can kind of see Branch tasting a little bitter. And Delta I think would taste spikey somehow.” The two shared a quiet laugh, and Barb was thankful that humor was the answer this time around.

The two perked up when they heard Steven shout suddenly. “Pearl, wait! Don’t you go, too!” They looked over in time to see the pale one stepping through the doorway, clearly no longer listening to the boy who called after her. He grabbed the stack of waffles and ran after her, the door sliding shut behind him.

Trollex and Barb opted for waiting a bit, just to make sure no one would warp in again, or step out of the mysterious door. Once the coast was clear, Barb stood fully on the beam. “I think we’re clear now. Let’s go.” She grinned at him. “How fast are you?”

He tilted his head slightly. “Um, pretty fast, why? Wait, Barb? Barb!” He was forced to dive after her, as she leapt off of the beam and began to plummet towards the counter. It wasn’t long at all before Trollex zipped up below her to catch her. She laughed as he held her in his arms, his heart pounding against her shoulder.

“WHOO! What a rush!!” She grinned up at Trollex, who shot her an exasperated glare.

“Don’t… don’t EVER do that to me again… I had no idea if I would have enough time to slow down safely!” He lowered them both to the counter, and sighed as soon as her feet were firmly planted on it. He darted around to hover in front of her, giving her the sternest look he could manage.

Which really wasn’t saying much, given his cheeks still puffed out and his ear fins wouldn’t stop twitching. She snickered, grinning at him. “What’cha gonna do if I do, guppy? Not catch me? I knew I’d be fine, I’ve fallen off the volcano plenty of times, right into the lava once! We rock trolls are made of tough stuff!”

He stared at her disbelievingly, but shook his head. “I’d still rather not! I mean really, what sane troll just… jumps like that?” He muttered as he floated off towards the upper cupboards. Barb ran along the countertops, and leapt at the fridge's handle. Her momentum was enough to swing it open, and she slid along the door's edge to the floor, keeping a hand on it as her feet hit the wood.

She hummed as she looked into the fridge, debating on what would be best to bring. They’d made an agreement they wouldn’t take anything that was new, or anything that didn’t have a small size to it. Any dishes were to be left behind, and if possible placed in the sink. From what she could see, her best bet for something to grab would be the abandoned bagel bites from the day before.

She leapt up into the fridge, and grabbed hold of the plastic baggy. She pulled it to the edge, and leapt down. Once on the floor, she quickly scurried out of the way as the door shut gently behind her. In the bag there were enough bagel bites to have one each, score!

She looked up to see Trollex carrying a small package of gummies. “You really like those things, huh?”

He blushed deeply. “Yeah, I do. They’re really sweet! We didn’t have anything like gummies in Techno reef, so I like to grab them when I can.” He dipped down to get a look at the food in the bag. “Are they heavy?”  
Trollex held a corner of the bag and rose in the air. He seemed to be having a bit of trouble with it, but smiled none the less. “If you ride on my back, I can carry this bag while you carry the gummies. I think we can get all of it back!”

Barb let out a cheer, grabbing the Gummies that Trollex had left beside her, and walked over to him. He rested his stomach on the floor, looking back as she carefully stepped over him, and sat on his lower back. “Hold on tight, Barb, I’ve never tried rising like this before.” He braced himself with his arms, and pushed off. He zipped more forward than upwards, but small adjustments had him returning to where he’d left the bag of bites.

He couldn’t go straight up, but he could climb over a distance, which was exactly what he did. He bit his lip a bit as he flew back towards the stairs and upwards, hoping to gain enough altitude by the time they made it there.

Barb held the gummies tightly as Trollex began to dip again, setting down near the hole leading under the bed. Barb leapt off of him, and he slumped against the floor. “Oh man… that was heavy…! I have to admit, flying with stuff is REALLY hard…”

Barb smiled, kneeling down and gently patting his head. “I’ll bring the stuff in; you just get back to your bowl for now.” She paused a moment, then gently pet his head. How was he so soft? Hadn’t he said he had scales? She was about to ask when she realized he was deeply enjoying the petting, small happy chirps and clicks escaping him.

She bit down a delighted squeal before she pulled her hand away. “Yo Guppy, I thought you had scales, how are you still so soft?”

He seemed a little dazed for a moment, before he regained his senses. He quickly darted up into the air, clearing his throat as he tried to ignore his bright blush. “Um, it’s because our scales are really thin. Here…” He reached down on his arm, and began to pick lightly at the red band there. A moment later he plucked off a small red scale with a slight wince. He offered it to her. “Check this one out, it was loose anyway.”

She gently rubbed her thumb along the scale in her palm, and sure enough it was very soft! When she tapped it lightly with her nail though, she could tell it was at least tough to impact. “Whoa, this is so cool dude! Can I keep it? It’s red like the rock string!”

He nodded, laughing at her cheer. “Oh, sure! Like I said, it was loose anyway, and you can’t exactly put a scale back on. I think it’ll keep glowing for a while too, so it should be a good night light at least.”

She nodded, studding it into her pocket to check out a bit closer later. For now, they had to get back inside. Hopefully before the other trolls woke up. She picked up the food, and began to head inside, followed closely behind by Trollex.

At first everything seemed quiet, and Barb was thankful. They’d be able to just put these in the food supply pile for now, and tell them they popped out for a bit later on.

“And where were you two, huh?” Both let out a startled cry as they heard Branch speak up from behind them. They turned to see him glaring daggers at them, arms crossed over his chest. “I saw you two sneak off, but I didn’t think you’d be gone long, let alone long enough to go get food!”

Trollex let out a small whine, hiding behind Barb a bit. Branch could definitely be intimidating when he wanted to be, but it was usually put towards trying to keep one of the trolls from doing something crazy. She had to admit, they really should have told someone before they left… She stepped forward, setting a hand on her chest. “It was my idea, Branch. I wanted to get some air and invited Trollex to come along. But it wasn’t for nothing!”

Branch gave her a curious look. She knew he’d be too interested in the new info to scold them for their outing. “We found out some stuff about Steven’s other caretakers. The big one's name is Garnet, the little one is Amethyst, and the pale one is Pearl. Their names are based on crystals, I think… Oh, and Amethyst can change her form, too!”

His eyes widened at the final part. “Really? Fascinating…! I wonder if everyone here can do that…?” He began to make his way towards his sleeping area, where he had also started to keep a chart on what they’d learned so far.

Barb grinned back towards Trollex. “Scott free, dude! Come on, let’s not waste this.” She picked up the food again, and brought it to the rest, setting it down with a sigh. “Right, now let’s get you back in the water.”

He sighed softly, nodding. “Yeah… I am feeling a bit dry again.” He glanced back towards the hole, smiling softly. “I’ll head back to my bowl, but tonight I’ll ask the others if I can go to the beach tomorrow. I want to check out what’s different here!”

She grinned, giving him an affectionate punch on the arm. “Good! I’ll back you up, they can’t say no to you that way!”

Barb had been right on the money, and when Trollex asked that night about going to the beach, they had all agreed, so long as he was careful and returned at the first sign of trouble.


	10. Trollex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally given a chance to swim in the ocean, Trollex dives right into adventure when a corrupted gem shows up!

Trollex had gotten his permission from the other trolls, and was now preparing for his trip down to the beach. Poppy had made Trollex a waterproof backpack with the materials she had found, as well as the things she had tucked within her hair. There had been a rather shocking moment in which Poppy had pulled out a cow bell as well!

He rolled his shoulders, letting the backpack fall into a more comfortable position on his back as Branch ran over some safety precautions with him. He already knew most of it by now, like stay away from the creatures that resembled Steven, and avoid anything with sharp teeth. He nodded when Branch asked if he was paying attention, but his mind was already on its way to the water.

“Right, ok, yeah, I got it Branch! Yes, I’ll be careful, can I go now?” Trollex’s fins were twitching, and his glow was brighter than normal as his eyes flickered towards the hole in the baseboard.

Branch let out a groan, rolling his eyes. “Fine, you-” Branch had hardly finished the word fine before Trollex was darting out of the hole, using track skip to do so. Branch stared at the place Trollex once hovered, barely catching his after image. “-Can go now.”

Trollex had barely taken a second to check before he darted out into the open, aiming to slip through the small gap in the screen he had spotted once before. The moment he was outside, he headed for the first hiding spot he could see, which was a shrub on the sand below. It was mid-day, so he knew he didn’t have to worry about his bright glow.

Once safely inside the bush, he poked his head out again to look towards the water. He was so close already; soon he’d be able to feel proper moving water over his scales again. He endlessly appreciated his bowl under the bed, but he missed moving water so badly. With a quick glance to each side, he deemed it safe enough. He launched out of the bush, and straight towards the water’s edge.

Not wanting to waste another moment, he dove straight down into the water as soon as he could no longer see the sand. It was still shallow, but given his size he had more than enough water to appreciate. He rode the receding wave as it carried him out into deeper water, doing his best to take it all in at once.

Once he was deep enough to control his own progress again, he dove a little deeper, sitting on a tree of coral forming from the sea bed. He grinned widely, looking at his current surroundings. “It’s beautiful down here…! I should learn how to use my Heart beat bubbles; I bet the others would LOVE to see this!” He lay back in the tree, watching the light filter down through the water’s surface. He allowed his focus to drift with the waves above, focusing on the feel of the salt water, and the taste of the ocean. He enjoyed the taste of salt; it reminded him of home…

He let his eyes slip shut, and couldn’t help but think about the trolls he’d left behind at Techno reef. He knew that so long as his friend Beat was there, they could at least play their music. He missed their music too, tapping his fingers lightly against his chest to the beat of one of his favourite songs.

He opened his eyes again. How long had it been since he’d heard any music? Sure, there had been some, as Steven seemed musically inclined, often playing his ukulele when bored, but even that was rarer than he was used to. He’d have to ask how the others felt about it; perhaps they could even start to share their music with each other?

He was shaken from his thoughts by a sudden rush in the currents past him. He darted up quickly, glancing in the direction it had come from. “Feels like something big just fell into the water…” He knew the thought of something like that should scare him, but he couldn’t help swimming towards it. He had to know what it was…

As he came to an underwater cliff side, he spotted what had fallen into the water. “Well, would you look at that…? I guess Stevens are a bit aquatic…” Below him; he could see Steven within a large pink bubble, with another similar looking creature beside him. He swam closer, careful to make sure he looked like nothing more than a normal fish.

Once close enough to hear the conversations, he watched the two curiously. At first, he thought that the bubble was there for a purpose, but based on their talk, Steven hadn’t intended for the bubble, and now they were trapped inside. He wished he could help, but it seemed even their combined efforts couldn’t pop it.

They had eventually decided that rolling the bubble back to shore was their best option, and his curiosity pulled him along for the ride. He was content to simply follow along, until he felt an absolutely MASSIVE object moving through the water towards him. He turned in time to see a worm-like creature swimming through the water towards him. 

He paled when he saw it, and used track skip to quickly dart into cover. As he poked his head out, he watched the creature slither by, moving to eat some glowing red kelp growing from the ocean floor. Perhaps it was an herbivore…?

His eyes widened at it suddenly let out a piercing shriek, before burrowing into the hard packed ocean floor. It began to split as the creature vanished below the sandy surface, the crack racing along to eventually swallow the pink bubble whole.

He darted down towards the edge of the crack, peering down to see the two in the bubble, clearly distressed. Maybe he could go back and get help from Steven’s caretakers? No, then he’d have to show himself… but was there really much other choice? As he debated his next option, he was startled as a sudden rush of bubbles floated past him.

He watched as the kids followed the bubbles a few moments later, and let out a sigh of relief. He was glad to know the kids were going to be ok. He began to swim after them, just to make sure they’d be safe, when suddenly the water began to shiver around him. He paused in his ascent, looking towards the ocean floor again.

He watched as another raced along the ocean floor, the creature slithering from it as it made to chase the kids. His eyes widened, and he looked towards kids. What was drawing it to them? It passed over them before without a second glance… wait, was something glowing on the girls wrist? That was the only change he’d noticed that might draw the creatures attention.

He had only a moment to think, but it felt like time had slowed. He could probably use track skip to get out of the way, but the kids weren’t close enough to the surface to get to safety. If they were caught now, they’d never make it out alive.

He screwed his eyes shut and focused all his spare energy on his glow, trying to make it as bright and flashy as he could. When next he opened his eyes, he found himself the new target of the beast, and regretted nearly every decision he had made that put him in this situation. “Fish sticks…!”

He bolted; glancing back to make sure the creature was following, and sure enough it was. He also noticed Steven and the girl staring right at him as he drew the creature’s attention. He hoped against hope that they couldn’t tell him apart from any other fish here. As he darted through the water, he realized he wouldn’t be able to use track skip until he was out of sight of the kids.

He turned all his attention to his speed, aiming to simply draw the beast away for the time being. Of course, being the size he was, there was no real hope he could outpace it. As the tentacles around its mouth began to close on him, he suddenly changed direction. He swiftly dove down, then back along the worm’s body.

For a moment it seemed to have lost him, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t gotten far from the kids, but he hoped they’d at least have gotten closer to shore by now. He chanced a glance and was relieved to find they had nearly made it, now splashing through the shallows.

The creature seemed to notice the sound of the splashing, and suddenly spun in the water to pursue the children again. He was about to try another distraction when the creature's tail whipped around, slamming into him and knocking him into a tailspin through the water. By the time he regained his senses, the beast had already leapt onto land to chance after the kids.

He darted after them, his mind racing as he burst from the water. He hadn’t really considered his speed and how light he was, as for a few moments he was airborne. He got a good view of the coastline from his position, and watched as Steven used the glowing ring to draw the creature around the wooden posts of the pier.

As he landed back in the water with a plop, he righted himself and darted towards the land. There wasn’t much he could do, but perhaps if he was close enough, he could light up again as another distraction? As his head broke the surface a few feet from the shore, he found there was nothing more he needed to do. The creature had tangled itself so thoroughly in chasing Steven that it could no longer move an inch.

He let out a sigh, but an echoing creak had him choking on it a moment later. He watched as the wood began to splinter, and felt his heart freeze for a moment as the pier collapsed atop the beast, crushing it. As it squirmed, he expected it to lunge out and snap up one of the kids, but it suddenly vanished in a plume of smoke! He rubbed at his eyes, blinking out the saltwater. There was no way he’d seen that right. The creature was there one second, and the next it had vanished. Left in its place seemed to be a gemstone of some sort, which Steven lifted carefully.

He ducked his head back under the water as the three others that lived in the house ran along the beach towards them. He began to swim back towards the house, holding a hand over his heart as he tried to calm himself. “Holy mackerel, this place is crazy…! I’m used to the ocean having its dangers, but that was just… way too much…!”

As he made it back to the beach near the house, he pulled himself onto the shore, standing on wobbly fins as he began his shuffle walk to the nearest shrub. There was no way he was going to try and walk all the way up to the house; he’d wait for flow to kick in.

As he sat amongst the leaves, he thought back to the gemstone that had fallen when the creature vanished. Was that something common here? And why was there aquatic life here that was identical to what he had back home? Were they somehow just in another part of the same world?

No, that wouldn’t make any sense… Branch had brought up the possibility they were on another planet, but… the idea hadn’t really sunk in until now. They had no way of knowing just how far from home they were, but… clearly it was more than they were used to. He gave his fins a flick, looking at the glow of the pixel pattern there.

He missed his trolls. He missed his friends and his home… But for some reason, he didn’t feel homesick. No, he was actually enjoying his time here. He’d felt so lost for so long, and now he felt like he had something he needed to do. Beyond just his trolls, he wanted to protect the friends he’d made here.

Even if he hadn’t had a chance to talk with one of them yet.

He perked up as he heard approaching footsteps, and poked his head out of the bush. He just barely held in a startled squeak as Garnet’s foot suddenly took up a vast majority of his view. He looked up and saw the five returning to the house, and ducked back into the bush. “Maybe I’ll wait a… little bit longer.”

As he listened to the passing group, he wondered what the other trolls might be doing. Hopefully they weren’t up and about, but they probably would have put Trollzart on lookout if they were. Could they be worried about him? After all, the sun seemed to have set without his noticing. He had two options at this point.

Option one, go back to the hideout and hope he didn’t get in trouble, either for being out late, or what he pulled with the monster…

Option two, Go back and take a nap in the ocean, and deal with it in the morning…

He gave his fins a flick and floated in the air, then glanced back towards the ocean.

He made his decision, and darted off towards the house. He didn’t want to worry the other trolls any more than they probably already were. He could see Steven and his three friends in the house, chatting at the kitchen counter. If he was careful, he could slip in quietly and make it upstairs without ever being seen. Or so he hoped…

As he began to put his plan into motion, he did his best to make sure he stayed out of view. Once near the door, he slipped through the small hole in the corner of the screen, and paused to make sure he hadn’t been spotted. With no reaction from Steven and his friends, he zipped upstairs. He was so thankful for his ability to fly!

As the bed came into view, he felt the days fatigue catching up to him. Just a little bit farther, and he’d be home. He’d be able to sleep in his little water bowl and just relax… As he slipped down through the hole, stifling a yawn, he was surprised when he suddenly heard every troll present call his name.

He looked up and found them all running towards him. He scratched at the back of his head slightly, not quite expecting this.

Barb was grinning ear to ear, bouncing on her heels. “How was it dude? You gotta tell me everything!”

Branch was looking Trollex over. “You didn’t get hurt, right? You were gone a lot longer than I expected you to be…” When he received a light punch on his arm, he shot a half glare at Poppy.

The Pop princess snickered softly. “Oh relax, Branch! He’s back, and he didn’t get caught, so why worry?”

Trollzart seemed to be trying to hold back his questions, and Trollex couldn’t help but admire the other's restraint. Under normal circumstances, he’d be more than happy to tell them about his day, but for now… He let out a yawn, rubbing at his eyes, which seemed to bring quiet to the gathering.

Delta stepped forward, setting a hand on Trollex’s shoulder as he dropped in the air a bit. “Maybe we should be lettin’ ya get to yer bowl, huh? You seem pretty worn out.”

With a nod and another yawn, he allowed her to lead him towards his bowl. It wasn’t long before he let himself fall into the water, letting out a content sigh as he sank to the bottom. He distantly wondered if he could get some of the beach sand to put at the bottom, but conscious thought was soon lost to him as he fell into a deep sleep.

That night, he dreamt of others like Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. He couldn’t make out details, but something about this dream felt off. Like it was trying to tell him something…


	11. Delta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delta decides to go with Trollex to check out a tide pool, rather than the ocean.

Once Trollex had woken up, the trolls had insisted that he tell them about the night before. He had come home so tired that they didn’t even have a chance the night before. Now they were sitting around his bowl, while he regaled them with an altered version of the tale, one where he didn’t actively try to antagonize the worm that was big enough to swallow him whole. Instead he said he had watched from a safe distance as events unfolded.

By the time he was done, Branch looked about ready to tear his hair out. “How in the…. Why didn’t you come home immediately? I mean, really! No self-preservation, I swear…” He rubbed at his temples, shooting Trollex an exasperated look. “I’m voting that we don’t let you go into the ocean for a long while. At least until we can figure out a way to send someone with you…”

Trollex sighed, nodding a bit. “Yeah, I figured that’s what you guys would say that… But I actually had an idea! Ever heard of tide pools?”

Barb parked up at that, her hand shooting up. “Oh, oh! I know! They’re little puddles filled with stuff from the ocean!”

He blinked, clearly surprised by the other's knowledge. “Um, yeah! That’s pretty much right. Normally they aren’t very large, but I’m positive that with the world so big, the tide pools must be too!”

Delta had stayed quiet during the discussion so far, listening to Trollex’s story and taking some time to work through the minor details of it. He tapped her hoof against the hardwood floor beneath them, calling the attention of the other trolls. “I think checkin’ out these tide pools might be our best bet. We can’t keep him from the ocean, that’s just cruel.”

She glanced up, but quickly wished she hadn’t when she saw Trollex’s bright, sparkling eyes. She really wasn’t used to other trolls being so cute… She swallowed thickly, scratching at her cheek as she looked away. “And I might be willin’ ta bring ‘im if no one else is up for the trip. I don’t get out much with hooves clackin on wood.”

There was a splashing sound, and she looked up just in time to see Trollex about to latch onto her in a hug. She had no time to react, letting out a squeak as she was knocked onto her back by the young king. She was doing her utmost not to show the blush dusting her cheeks as he nuzzled into her, soaking her top as he thanked her repeatedly.

She eventually managed to get him off of her, and he opted for sitting next to her while he waited to dry off. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about the aquatic troll seemed to disarm her. She had to be careful about that…

She perked up when Branch spoke, pinching the bridge of his nose a bit. “I trust you Delta, but I’m still not too sure… Sounds like this world is filled with creatures like that crystal monster…But you’re right, we can’t stop doing what we need to just because it’s dangerous, I suppose…”

After a few more minutes of deliberation amongst the trolls, they eventually agreed that Trollex and Delta would head down to the beach on the opposite side of the cliff and check out the tide pools amongst the rocks.

Delta had a few things she needed to get together for the trip, mostly simple things like her lasso and a few scraps of cloth, just in case one of them got hurt. She also packed a small portion of food for them to eat, and stored it all in the bag Trollex carried. They were soon on their way out, Trollex hovering near Delta as she made her way to the stairs.

Trollex hovered a bit higher. “I’ll scout ahead; make sure there’s no one that’ll spot us!” He darted off into the air, glancing about as he did. She was happy he was cautious enough to scout ahead, and when she received a nod from him, she began to leap down the stairs.

She hated that she couldn’t head out as much as she liked. While all the other trolls could sneak around effectively, she never developed that skill. There wasn’t a need to in Lonesome flats. Heck, if anything, you NEEDED to be loud! Being loud sent things running, and being quiet was hard with hooves.

As she landed on the lower floor, she took a peek outside as she headed for the front door. It looked like a nice day out at least, and she wouldn’t mind dipping her hooves in the water for a while. Once she made it to the door, she tapped at her chin. How would she get it open?

A few moments later, she nearly had a heart attack as she leapt out of the way, the door sliding open a little ways. A glance up and she could see Trollex at the door handle, waving down to her. “Allow me, m’lady!”

She nodded and quickly slipped out the door, doing her best to hide her blush as she heard it slip shut again behind her. She looked over as Trollex came up to her side, grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you again for bringing me, miss Delta! There’s something I want to try, and you’re perfect for it!”

She huffed, her embarrassment temporarily forgotten. “Hey, I aint no miss! Just stick to Delta, kid.” She folded her arms over her chest as she started down towards the beach. He followed, blushing lightly as he rubbed at the back of his head, apologizing to her as they reached the sand.

Delta was starting to have a bit of trouble with keeping her hooves steady on the sand. She did her best to make sure she didn’t fall, Trollex watching her closely. “Are you sure you can handle the sand? I could always fly us… It might be a bit tough, but it’s probably still easier than sand…”

She shook her head, adjusting slowly to the best way of walking. “Nah, I got this. I appreciate the offer though. Sides, looks like we’re almost to the rocks.” She gestured ahead, and sure enough it wasn’t much farther before they reached some more solid ground.

He pulled a small flip in the air, chuckling as he zipped forward a few paces. “Come on, let’s go! We just gotta get around the cliff now!”

As soon as her hooves hit more solid ground, she burst into a gallop. With her sudden speed she passed him with ease, laughing as she did. “Keep up, kiddo!” She kept up her pace, knowing he was following behind. She hadn’t expected him to overtake her suddenly, and she nearly stumbled at the sight of his ability activating. “What in Sam hill was that?!”

He paused in the air, turning to look at her. “Huh? Oh! That was Track skip!” He made a few dashes in the air, leaving behind after images as he did so. Once done, he performed a small flip in the air. “It’s something we Techno trolls can do. It’s a dash of sorts!”

She applauded him, which caused him to look away with a light blush glowing on his cheeks. “Impressive, Trollex! That there ability a yours seems real useful!” She hummed softly. “Why aint I seen you use it yet?”

He shrugged a bit. “It’s because it’s not always something I need to do. I’m normally pretty quick in the air, but track skip is just a short burst. I had to use it to catch up to Barb once, but other than that, it takes a lot of energy.”

She tilted her head a little. “If it takes so much energy, why’d ya have to use it to chase Barb?” When he went still in the air, she had a feeling that she wasn’t going to get the truth from him.

“I uh… we raced? Ya, we raced, ehe…” He poked his fingers together, looking down at his fins with a nervous expression. She tapped her hoof against the rock below her as she shot him a knowing look. He sighed, shoulders dropping. “OK, so I didn’t race her, but it wasn’t my fault either! She jumped off the rafter beam…”

Her eyes widened. “She did WHAT now?!” She stomped her hoof and glared back towards the house. “Imma give that Barb a piece ‘o’ my mind for a stunt like that…!” She paused as Trollex came into her field of vision, his hands pressed together in a pleading gesture as he gave her a pouty look.

She had no idea how anyone was supposed to resist that face; she turned away from him, biting at her lip in an attempt to avoid breaking. “I’ll…I’ll worry ‘bout that later, let’s go to the tide pools for now.” She let out a small squeak as he suddenly hugged her.

As he nuzzled into her neck, she felt her heart melt as she gently returned the hug. This troll could probably convince her to do just about anything with how cute he could be. She cleared her throat a bit, which prompted him to let her go.

The two chatted together as they walked along the beach, Delta hopping from stone to stone while Trollex floated along. It was a fair while by the time they got to the tide pools, but when they did Delta let out a whistle. “Whoa, these’re bigger than I thought they’d be…”

Trollex nodded, grinning widely as he darted towards the water, dropping the bag on a rock as he dove in. She laughed at that, stepping over towards the water’s edge. She stepped in, wading through the shallow water until it rose to her waist. “Ooh, its warm fer water!”

Trollex swam over to her, and poked his head out of the water. “Yup! See how the rocks are darker? Because of that, and how shallow the water is, it gets pretty warm in these little pools!” A small fish darted past them suddenly, and Trollex lit up like a holiday tree.

He suddenly dashed off into the water, chasing the fish. She snickered at that, watching his colors disappear into the depth of the water. “He can be real cute… Wonder if my new niece is that cute…?” She looked over the water of the nearby ocean, watching it glitter like the desert she used to leave near.

She missed Lonesome flats dearly, and all the trolls that lived there. She hadn’t even gotten to be there when her new niece had hatched… She sighed, rubbing at her arm. She was supposed to be tough as nails! So… why did remembering hurt so much?

She jumped when Trollex suddenly poked his head out of the water, but that wasn’t the most startling part. In Trollex’s mouth, she could see the tailfins of the small fish he had darted off after in the first place. “Uh, Trollex ya got a lil-“

With no warning, he suddenly gulped down what was left of the fish, and she wasn’t sure WHAT to make of that site. “Did you just…. Eat a fish? Whole? And raw?”

Trollex gave his lips a lick and nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! The fish here are actually pretty tasty! Want one? I can probably catch another if you’re hungry?” The very thought of eating a fish raw turned her stomach, and she had no means to cook it, so she just shook her head.

“Er, no thank ye, Trollex. I have something for later to eat in the bag.” His ear fins drooped slightly, but they quickly perked up again.

“Well then, why not come for a swim with me?” He looked so eager for her to get in with him, but there was a fairly big problem with that.

“Trollex, I ain't build for swimmin'.” She gestured to her lower body. “I’m built for runnin' on open plains. Not diving into water. Sides, I can’t breathe down there like you can.” While she thought that would be the end of the discussion, she was a bit confused when he brought his hands out of the water and formed a heart with them. It was…. really cute.

“I can fix that though! Well, the breathing part anyway. Techno trolls have a really cool ability that lets other trolls breath under water!” He swam a little farther out, beckoning her to follow. She hesitated, looking at the water lapping at her waist. If it didn’t work out, she could always just come back to shore, right?

With a sigh, she stepped up to the edge of the rock she stood on, and dove into the water. It was a little heard to keep herself floating, rather than just sinking like a stone. A moment later and she felt a sure hand on her arm. It was Trollex, grinning at her. He took his hand away, and formed a heart with both hands like before.

He blew into the space, and to her surprise a pixelated bubble suddenly formed and floated towards her. A moment later it popped against her chest. “Alright, that should do it! Take a breath~.”

Every part of her screamed it was a bad idea, that there was no way this would work. When she hesitated, Trollex frowned a bit. “Don’t worry, I promise it’ll work.” She could tell he wasn’t lying, and he definitely wasn’t trying to hurt her… She nodded a bit, and pushing past every instinct against it, took a deep breath.

She was surprised to find that she could breathe just fine! It felt just like she was on land, besides the floating bit. “Well shoot fire! Talk about a useful skill!” She kicked her hooves, sending her forward a bit. Without having to worry about staying above water to breathe, she found swimming to be surprisingly easy.

That was when something caught her eye, and she swam towards it. As she approached, she could tell it was some kind of seashell, and smiled brightly. It was huge! At least two or three times the size of herself!

She reached out to run a hand along the shell, when suddenly she was yanked away by the collar of her shirt. She soon found herself floating behind Trollex, who was staring at the shell as he held an arm in front of her. “Hold on, keep away from that shell! It’s a cone snail shell, and trust me when I say you do NOT want to get close.”

She set a hand on his arm, calling his attention to her. “What in tarnation is a cone snail, and why’s it so bad? Snails are just slow critters, ain’t they?”

He looked back towards her and smiled a bit. “Well, normally yeah, they’re just slow and really tasty, but not these guys. We have something pretty much the same in our world, just… you know, scaled to size. These things can kill us even at a fraction our size.” His eyes practically sparkled as he looked back towards the snail. “I wonder what this baby could do! Imagine it Delta, what other kinds of creatures are there here?”

Delta shot the shell a cautious glance, before looking back at Trollex. “The water sounds pretty dang dangerous… but you seem keen on it, anythin' else I should be watchin’ out for?” That seemed to open the flood gates, and he began to guide her on a whirlwind tour of the tide pool. Every three or so things he pointed out turned out to be deadly, or at the very least dangerous.

It reminded her a lot of how dangerous her home could be, plus seeing him so passionate about something melted her heart.

She allowed him to show him around, and every so often he’d blow another of those heart shaped bubbles, telling her that he wasn’t entirely sure how long they lasted, but he wouldn’t want to risk it. To be honest? Neither did she.

At one point, he had found a clam shell that was as big as they were, and cracked it open for two apparent reasons. The first? He was hungry. The second? He held a pearl up, just big enough for him to hold with both hands.

By the time they surfaced again, it was rather late in the afternoon. She looked up at the sun, shielding her eyes as she did. “Looks like it’s getting’ late, Trollex. We should head back.”

Trollex nodded, making his way towards shore and pulling himself up onto the rocks to dry. A few moments later, Delta hauled herself onto the rocks next to him. She felt heavy, and realized quickly she had a problem.

She heard snickering next to her, and glared down at Trollex who was laughing at the state she was in. Hey, it wasn’t her fault that she had a lot of hair, and that wet hair tended to be very heavy and very flat. She stomped her hoof on the rocks, crossing her arms over her chest. “Quit laughin’ at me and get movin! I wanna get back before dark and it’s already late.”

She began to stomp away, but paused when she heard a hesitant sound from behind her. “Delta? I can’t fly right away when I leave the water; I need time to dry off.” She had honestly forgotten about that for a while, looking back towards the position of the sun. She really wanted to get home quickly, but it could take a while to dry him off…

She stepped forward, and knelt beside him. “Hop on; I’ll carry ya till yer dry.” He hesitated a bit, before hauling himself onto her back, bringing his pearl from before with him and sitting it on his lap. As she stood, he held on gently to her shoulders as she began to trot back towards the house.

For a while, it was quiet, but she suddenly felt him beginning to comb his fingers through her hair. “What’cha up to back there?”

“Fishtail braid! You have more than enough hair for it, and it’s easier to do when wet.” He began to gently braid her hair, and she had to admit, it felt nice having her hair played with. Especially since he was being so gentle about it.

“Y’know, I don’t remember sayin’ I wanted my hair braided.” When he paused his fingers, she missed it nearly immediately. “But I never said stop, either. I don’t mind, just ask next time?”

He nodded, grinning widely as he resumed his braiding. He began to hum softly, a beat that had her walking in time with the beat. “Is that what yer music’s like, Trollex?”

He paused in his humming. “No, not really. We use instruments for most of ours. Singing isn’t often a big part. What about you?”

She tapped at her chin a moment, thinking on her style of music. “It relies lots on instruments, but it’s also got a lot of lyrics to it. Lotsa stuff to make ya think… maybe I’ll sing somethin’ for ya? Someday anyway.”

She could feel him practically vibrating on her back, but he was still gentle with her hair. “That’s so cool! I can’t wait to hear it~. I wanna hear everyone’s music someday, I’ve been so curious about it!” He paused in his braiding. “Though I’m still curious about Branch.”

She glanced back towards him. “What’s on yer mind?”

He shrugged a bit. “He’s supposed to be a Pop troll, right? I mean, sure I only really have one other example, but… Poppy and Branch don’t seem like they could be any more different!” He pulled something from his own hair, a small little dried out starfish he had found, and set it into her hair as he continued to braid. “He’s always so jumpy, yet Poppy is always all smiles.”

Delta hummed in thought. It was true that Branch wasn’t like Poppy, their only other example of a Pop troll. Sure, Cooper said he was a Pop troll, but he was originally Funk, so there was no telling if he was a good example to follow. Poppy and Cooper did seem to agree on one thing, and that was that Branch wasn’t like most trolls they knew.

As she leapt from rock to rock, keeping to the slightly higher and more solid terrain. When eventually they made it back to the house, Delta had to take a short break in the shrubbery. She wasn’t used to moving so much with her hair still wet, though it was a lot drier than it would normally have been once Trollex had put it up in the braid. She swished her tail into view, and sure enough, he’d even managed to braid her tail! “Good wit yer hands there, eh?”

He smiled brightly, his ear fins wiggling in his glee. “You like it then? Oh, I’m so glad!” He gave his tail a flick and lifted off her back. “I’ll go scout ahead and see if Steven’s in there. Keep an eye out, if he’s not I’ll flash twice.” And with that, he was off like a shot through the air.

She sat down, resting her sore legs for a few minutes as she waited for the signal. Trollex was a good kid, and she admired his enthusiasm for the water. Not to mention that his knowledge was vast, and he could easily identify the dangers below.

She perked up when she saw two blue flashes, and smiled. It seemed as though Steven was still out, but they couldn’t delay. She stood, and started heading up towards the house, going at a full gallop as she did. It wasn’t long before she reached the front door, which Trollex was holding open for her, just enough for her to slip inside.

Once inside, she slowed to a trot towards the stairs. “Whooo-wee! Talk ‘bout a work out!” She smiled up at Trollex, who flew down to meet her at the base of the stairs. “I haven’t run like that in forever!” She glanced up at the stairs. “Now to get back to the others.”

Trollex moved to float above her, offering his arms for her to grab. “Come on, grab on! You were nice enough to carry me back, so I’ll carry you up the stairs.” Now how could she say no to such a nice offer? With a nod, she grabbed onto his wrists.

They were soon up in the air, moving quickly over the stairs. Delta had to admit, between swimming and flying, she much preferred swimming. She couldn’t help kicking her hooves in a panic whenever Trollex would shift in the air by mistake.

Once they reached the top, Trollex set her down gently. “Delta, you can’t kick around like that, I think I nearly dropped you back there!”

Her eyes widened and she sidestepped from the stairs in a rush. “Don’t go tellin’ me that!” She made her way quickly for the bed. “That’s it, I ain’t EVER flying again!” Trollex followed her with a muffled laugh, slipping under the bed after her.

Branch, Poppy and Cooper were chatting together when they spotted Delta coming in. They quickly clambered to their feet and ran to the two returning trolls. Poppy bounced on her toes once they were close enough. “Welcome back! How was it, did you two have fun? Ohmygosh Delta your HAIR! It’s fabulous!”

Delta took a small step back, holding her hands up to keep Poppy away. “Whoa there, easy now! You are way too excited!” Once Poppy took a few breaths, Delta began to answer her. “Right, well, thank you for the greeting Poppy, and we did have fun. As fer the hair, Trollex did it up on the way back.” She gestured to Trollex, who cheeks flushed at being mentioned.

Poppy was on him in an instant, pulling him towards Barb, chatting about doing each other’s hair. Branch smiled a little as he watched Poppy drag poor Trollex away. “I’m glad everyone is getting along so well.”

Delta nodded, setting her hands on her hips. “Couldn’t agree more. I’m glad the young’uns have each other.” She glanced over at Branch. “Why don’t you ever seem ta join ‘em?”

He perked up at that, his ear twitching slightly. “I just… I’m not really like Poppy; I don’t do well with other Trolls. I’m ok with you and Trollzart, cause you guys don’t think like the other Pop trolls do.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Sometimes they can be overwhelming.”

She patted his back lightly, causing the other to jump a little. “I think I getcha.” She looked back over towards Barb and Poppy, who were both amped up as poor Trollex just smiled nervously, Cooper having joined them. She then looked over towards Trollzart, who was making small motions with his hands as he relaxed in his sock bed. “You can spend yer time with whoever ya want, Branch.”

He smiled softly at her, looking calmer than she was used to seeing him. “Thanks, Delta… I appreciate you saying that.”

She gave a little nod, playing with her braid a bit. She felt like she was missing something…

She hadn’t noticed that the Pearl Trollex had found in the tide pool was no longer with the king of Techno, but was sitting up on Steven’s nightstand for him to find later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry ya'll bout not uploading last time, my computer went all buggy on me and nothing I had could connect to anything... it was frustrating to no end! Beyond that, I... may disappear more often, or may not respond to everything, I've been a bit under the weather of late, I suppose.


	12. Poppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy decides that with Trollex's newly revealed skill with braiding hair, it was time to have a heart to heart with some of the others! As her, Barb, Prince D., Cooper, and Trollex hang out, do their hair, and make bracelets, everything starts to go down hill as they think about home.

Poppy was absolutely giddy! She’d just learned that Trollex was surprisingly REALLY good at braiding hair, so she had decided that they would have a hair day! Once she had dragged him off towards Barb, she grinned brightly at the red haired troll. “Barb! Barb you won’t believe what Trollex can do!”

Barb perked up, looking over towards Poppy and Trollex as they approached. “Hey there fish stick! Glad to have you back. What’s all this about, Popsqueak?” When the princess of Pop gestured behind her to Delta, Barb’s eyes widened at the sight of the normally poofy haired cowboy with a braid. “Yo! I didn’t think I’d EVER see her with her hair different!” She sprang up, her eyes sparkling.

“I know, right? Trollex is going to hang out with us today!” She looked over as Cooper joined them, and smiled up at her friend. “Hey Coop! Wanna join too?”

Cooper hummed a moment, looking at the nervous Trollex, then over towards D. “Hey, D.! Wanna hang out today?” With a nod, D. stood up and trotted over to them. Cooper gave his brother a little bump, chuckling lightly when he did. “Cool! Alright, ready to go!”

Poppy was so happy to be doing something like this again. She’d been going absolutely stir crazy trying to keep herself from partying! She knew it was dangerous to make too much noise, but honestly Steven didn’t seem dangerous. He definitely wasn’t like the Bergens, so why was Branch so worried? She just couldn’t let it get her down; she had to keep the party going!

As the five sat down together, Trollex cleared his throat slightly. “So, if the goal of hanging out is hair, who should get done first?”

Poppy pointed at Barb immediately. “Oh, oh! Do up Barb’s hair, I think she’d look SO cool with her Mohawk braided!” She reached up into her hair, shaking it out a little and producing some clips and hairpins, as well as a few things for scrapbooking. “I can make really cute hair accessories out of this stuff in the meantime!”

Barb seemed a little nervous as Trollex moved to float above her, but calmed down nearly the instant he began to comb his fingers through her hair, starting to separate the strands ever so gently. She let out a satisfied hum. “Never had anyone play with my hair before… it’s really nice!”

Poppy giggled lightly, and got to work on making a hair tie and a few decorations for Trollex to use as they chatted. Occasionally he’d ask for a bead and weave it into Barb’s hair as he went. “So what do you guys think of this place?” At the quizzical looks she received, she elaborated. “I don’t mean under the bed here, I mean outside! I’ve seen a bit, and it’s all so big and bright and colorful!”

Cooper nodded enthusiastically. “D and I haven’t gone out much, but I poked my head out a few times. It looks like a lotta fun!”

Barb perked up a bit at that. “Wait, why haven’t you two gone out? It’s not that bad, even I went out!” She pointed upwards. “Trollex brought me up to the rafters to keep us out of sight.”

Prince D. gave a small nod to that. “That’s why Cooper and I haven’t gone out. Trollex and Trollzart can fly, Branch and Poppy can use their hair, and Barb, you’re easy to carry.” He gestured to himself and Cooper. “We don’t really have anything that makes it easier to get around.”

Poppy tilted her head a bit. “Then how do you get away from things trying to eat you?” She looked at Cooper, who was watching Trollex weave another bead into Barb’s hair. “Cooper can use his hair to get places to; he just can’t do it much.”

D. looked at Cooper in surprise. “Wait, you can use your hair like a Pop troll?”

Cooper sat up and nodded, his eyes shutting as he concentrated. Sure enough, after a moment, Cooper’s hair grew in length and snaked around to shake Poppy’s hand, who gladly returned the gesture. Once his hair returned to normal length, he grinned at his stunned brother. “See? Can’t you do it, too?”

“No way! I didn’t think one tribe could pick up other abilities!” D. was practically vibrating, he was so excited by this. “Cooper, you’re so cool!”

Trollex snickered at the blush Cooper now sported. “Man, you’re glowing almost as bright as me!” That got Cooper’s blush to deepen, and he hid his face below his hat, mumbling incoherently as he tried to work out how to talk again.

As the group shared a laugh, Trollex suddenly darted out from behind Barb and grinned brightly. “There we go!” Barb reached up, patting at her hair. She clearly wasn’t used to it not standing on end, but she didn’t seem to mind the braid Trollex had given her, especially with the beads he’d woven in at random intervals.

Poppy let out an excited squeal, clapping her hands together. “Ooh, Trollex you’re amazing!”

The young king blushed deeply, and Cooper barked out a laugh. “Now who’s glowing, eh Trollex?” He blushed even brighter, swatting playfully at Cooper with his fins. After another laugh, Cooper looked back at D. with a mischievous smile. “I think D. should get done up next!”

“Wait, what? I don’t even have that much hair, dude!” D. glanced up at his hair, catching it at the edge of his vision. He didn’t have as much as Cooper did, and his was already done up in dreads.

Trollex hummed softly before floating down to sit beside D., before patting his fins. “Lay your head down, I’m sure I can add a few new accessories to it~.”

He looked a little hesitant at first, but eventually relented and tucked his legs under his body, resting his chin on Trollex’s lap. And so the Techno king went to work, taking out D’s existing accessories one by one and starting to fix up any of the loose dreads. It took a moment, but Trollex soon realized that D. had begun purring!

Trollex’s face was nearly as red as Barb’s hair when he noticed the purring, his fingers pausing for a moment. When the purring stopped, he swiftly continued. Poppy knew that Cooper purred when his hair or fur was played with, so maybe it was a Funk trait?

She perked up suddenly. “Wait, that’s it! D., do you mind if we get a little bit of fur from you? I can get it from Cooper, but I think it’ll be cool to get a bit from you~.”

D. had let his eyes close as he let Trollex play with his hair, but cracked one open and gave Poppy a quizzical look. “Hmm…?” He seemed half asleep!

Cooper took over the explanation. “It’s actually really cool! Poppy knows how to make bracelets out of our fur, and the Pop trolls use those for hug time!”

Barb tilted her head slightly. “Hug time? Wuzzat?”

Poppy held out her arm, showing off the hug time bracelet she always wore. “We can turn them on and off, but basically when it’s active, it tells you when it’s hug time!” She put her arm back down. “And hug time is when all the trolls hug!” She frowned slightly, a rare sight on Poppy. “But Branch told me and Cooper to turn ours off, cause it can be noisy when it goes off every hour.”

Trollex continued to play with D’s hair, glancing for a moment at Poppy’s bracelet. “But why would you need to hug every hour? Seems a bit… excessive…”

She shook her head a bit. “What? No way! We still have plenty of time for other stuff, besides, everyone likes hugs!”

D. let out a soft hum sound, then gave a little nod. “If it’s for that, I guess I don’t mind. How much fur do you need?”

“Only a little, I just want to show you guys how to make one for now, if you ever want one~.” She was so happy she would get to share a little of Troll Village with her new friends~.

With another small nod, D. looked up at Trollex as best he could. “Can you take a little fur from my back? I have plenty of loose fur there.” He puffed himself up a little more, the fur that was loose looking a bit more clumped together than the rest.

With a nod and a gentle touch, Trollex combed his fingers through the fur, gathering what came off. Once he started, he seemed to enjoy it though, and ended up with a small pile next to him. He chuckled softly, a light blush on his cheeks. “I may have gotten carried away…”

Poppy’s eyes were practically sparkling. “No, this is great! We could all make one!” She clapped her hands cheerily. “Group activity~.”

As she gathered the fur Trollex had gotten, she began to sort it into the right sized piles before handing it out amongst those present. D, having gotten his hair fixed up and the accessories replaced, including a few new beads and a little dark blue feather, sat up to join.

Trollex took his own small pile of fur when Poppy handed it to him, giving it a quizzical look. “So how are we supposed to do this? Is it something about the Funk fur in particular, or is there like… hair magic or something?” At the confused look Poppy and Cooper shot him, he scratched at his cheek in embarrassment. “After this whole fiasco with getting stuck here, I wouldn’t doubt hair magic being real…”

Barb shrugged a little. “When you put it that way, Hair magic sounds TOTALLY legit.”

D. chuckled softly. “I think it’s Funk in particular guys, we have a lot of abilities that don’t really show up physically like you all.” When he realized that the entire gathering, including Cooper, was staring at him expectantly, he let out a sigh. Looks like story time.

“Well, Funk trolls are very adaptive, and so is our fur.” He looked back over his own fur. “If we’re in a cold climate, it’s warm. When we're in a warm climate, it lets the wind through a little better, and manages to keep us cool. We never really pushed the extent of it though…” He looked back towards Poppy. “I think what happens is our fur is receptive to intent… if you weave it with the intent of making it a watch, that’s what it’ll do.” He looked over at Cooper. “That might actually explain how you can use your hair like a Pop troll, now that I think about it…”

Poppy had never really understood how it worked before, assuming it was something unique to her special friend Cooper. It was so cool that this was something he shared with others! “That’s really cool! Man, every troll seems to have their own things! We’re all so different from each other, but we’re all the same, too!”

She missed the small wince from D., and continued on, beginning to weave a bracelet out of her pile of fur. “I’m really; really glad I got to meet you all! It’s why I want to make bracelets for everyone, so no matter what, even if we end up separated, we know we have trolls that have our backs!” She glanced at Branch, who was resting as he scribbled on a piece of paper.

She hated that she still couldn’t get Branch to even wear a bracelet. When he had been taken away, she had realized just how dangerous this place could be, and she didn’t want her friends to end up all alone like Branch had been.

As she continued to make a bracelet, the others started to follow her lead. Trollex was a quick study, but Barb needed a little help every now and then. Cooper had done it so often with her now that it seemed second nature to him, and D. was only a little slower than Trollex.

Soon enough, every troll had made a bracelet, and they were admiring how different each looked despite being made from D’s pink hair. Trollex’s had a rainbow one, with a dark blue flower bud. Barb’s was red with a black bud; Cooper’s was golden with an orange bud, as he’d made his for Trollzart, while Poppy’s was red with a teal bud for Delta. Prince D’s looked the most like him, with a blue band and a pink flower.

As each troll admired their new bracelets, Poppy couldn’t help but remember her dad. He’d been the one to teach her how to weave the bracelets when she was young… “Hey, guys…?”

Hearing the peppy princess’ voice so quiet had clearly gotten the others attention, as all eyes were on her in a moment. “What do you guys… think everyone is doing right now? Back home, I mean…”

Silence reigned amongst the group, the first to break it being Prince D. “Mom and Dad are probably freaking out…” He looked over at Cooper. “They were so upset when they lost Coop’s egg, and now I’ve vanished…” He hung his head. “I miss em…”

Bar suddenly let out a sharp gasp. “Oh no, dad! My dad, he’s not been doing well recently… I was due to become queen soon, actually… He’s been forgetting things more and more often…” She rubbed at her arms, her hands shaking. “I hope he doesn’t forget me…”

Cooper looked towards the underside of the bed above them, his ears down as he smiled sadly. “I miss the snack pack… That’s our friends in Pop village… They were my family for so long, since I didn’t have anyone else… other than King Peppy, but I don’t think he liked me much…”

Poppy smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She knew her dad was always jumpy around Cooper, but she also knows that he loved all the trolls in the village. “He loved you Cooper! He acts the same way with Branch.” She looked down at her hug time bracelet, the one her dad had made her. “Dad’s probably gone out looking for us, no troll left behind, after all…”

Suddenly Darnel let out a startled sound as Trollex pushed himself into the air, shoulders shaking as he turned from the group. “I’m heading to my bowl…” And with that, he darted off and dove into the bowl, curling up in the corner of it.

Poppy shared a look of concern with the other three before pushing herself to her feet. She didn’t know what was going on, but something had upset Trollex, she could tell that much. She ran over to his bowl, with Barb on her heels.

When she made it to the side of the bowl, she pressed her hands to the plastic, smiling a bit at the blue troll that floated inside. “Hey Trollex, what’s wrong? Did something happen…?”

For a moment there was no response, until he eventually mumbled that he was fine. There was no way she was buying that!” Come on, you can tell me Trollex! After all, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

He visibly flinched, though she wasn’t sure why. When she felt Barb set a hand on her shoulder, she glanced over to see Barb shaking her hand. “Drop it, Pop. I don’t think he wants to talk right now…”

She wasn’t having any of that. She shook her head. “No way, he needs to feel better! It never helps to stew on those bad thoughts; at least that’s what dad says!” She felt a sudden chill up her spine and looked over to see Trollex staring at her. He didn’t look angry, but something about the empty look in his eyes set off warning bells in her mind.

Of course, she had a tendency of ignoring those bells. She also ignored Barb trying to pull her from the bowl. “Trollex, come on! Come out of the bowl and we can talk about whatever is upsetting you. I’m sure we can work through it if we-“

She was cut off by Trollex suddenly yelling at her. “Work through WHAT Poppy?! You guys are all talking about your families, and your homes, and who you miss and… and you know what? I can’t join in! You wanna know why, Poppy?” He pressed his hands against the bowl from the inside, his colors flaring as his face contorted into a rare expression of rage as his voice broke, sounding more electronic than usual. “I DON’T HAVE A FAMILY TO MISS ME!!”

Poppy stumbled back from the bowl, falling backwards as she stared up at Trollex, who was panting from his outburst. The sound of his breathing was the only thing that could be heard. It was then she realized that every troll had heart his outburst.

Barb knelt next to Poppy to help her up, but her legs felt like Jell-O. How could she have forgotten? Cooper and Trollzart had told everyone that Trollex didn’t have any family left, and she had just spent the past few minutes talking about home and family…

What had she done…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all your concern! I really appreciate it. I've been getting a bit more food in me, and have been sleeping a lil better, so no need to worry!
> 
> Even if I did... almost eat poisonous berries the other day... heh... 
> 
> To my readers, don't eat berries you find when walking, even if you are hungry, hehe.


	13. Branch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch finally opens up about his past, in an attempt to help Trollex understand his own feelings towards his loss.

“I DON’T HAVE A FAMILY TO MISS ME!!”

The sudden shout nearly scared Branch right out of his vest, and he looked over to see Trollex glaring Poppy down, while Poppy was on the floor, staring up at Trollex in fear as Barb tried to help her up. He was on his feet faster than he could think, and ran towards the bowl, putting himself between Poppy and Trollex. “What’s going on here?”

Barb looked up at him, worry evident in her eyes. “It’s Trollex and Poppy. We… We were talking about family, and it got Trollex upset, he came to his bowl for some alone time, I think, but Poppy wouldn’t stop pressing him…”

Poppy snuffled, rubbing at her eyes. “I…I’m sorry, I didn’t… I forgot, and I…” She bit her lip, clearly trying to hold back tears. He hated seeing her cry, but she wasn’t the one who needed his help right now. He turned to look at Trollex, who was now cowering in a ball in the corner of the bowl. He’d have to get wet for this…

He took off his vest, knowing that the material was difficult to dry properly, and leapt to the top of the bowl, a moment later and he dove in with a splash that nearly caught Poppy and Barb. The bowl wasn’t very deep, but he could stand in it without his hair breaking the surface.

And so he walked along the bottom of the bowl, sitting cross legged behind Trollex. Delta had told him that the king of Techno had an ability that let other trolls breath under water… hopefully he wasn’t too out of it to do it for him, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to help.

Trollex knew he was there, and he knew that. Trollex had peeked from behind his fins and looked at him, before curling up more. “Go away, Branch…”

There was no way he was doing that. He had something he needed to say to Trollex, and he knew the other would be more comfortable in the water. Though it was getting harder to hold his breath… even so, he did his best to maintain his calm.

Trollex uncurled a little more, half glaring at Branch. “Get out of the water, Branch, land trolls can’t breathe like I can…”

But still he stayed, though his lungs and throat were starting to hurt… He needed to breathe soon, but…

He jolted when Trollex suddenly unwound himself, his hands forming a heart. Unfortunately Branch took in a gulp of water when he was startled, he needed air! He couldn’t figure out his limbs right away in his panic, and absently felt something pop against his chest.

He had to breathe! He took an instinctive breath, and coughed the water he’d already swallowed out. He was still under water, he could tell, but he was breathing fine… well, aside from his coughing fit. He looked at Trollex, clutching at his chest as he regained himself. “T-Thanks…”

“Are you insane?! What if I hadn’t done the Heart Bubble!? Or what if I couldn’t do it? What if it didn’t work, huh? W-what if I…what if…” He hiccupped softly. “What if you’d gotten hurt because of me…?”

Branch sat cross legged at the bottom of the bowl again, now able to relax. “Trollex, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that… We know you lost your family, but Trollzart and Cooper said it was an accident… Do you not have any other relatives?”

Trollex hugged himself, resting at the bottom of the bowl across from Branch. “I… It wasn’t an accident, not really… it could have been stopped… My parents brought me out for a swim outside the reef, and… I spotted a light. I followed it, and it turned out to be a shark… If I hadn’t been so… so stupid, then maybe… they’d still be alive today…”

Branch’s eyes widened at the tale, staring ahead at Trollex. He’d gone through something similar himself, but he hadn’t realized that any of the other trolls had dealt with anything similar… He looked down at his gray hands, tinted slightly blue from Trollex’s glow. He couldn’t even remember his own colors…

He looked at Trollex again, and smiled a bit. Something sad, but genuine. “I know exactly how you feel, Trollex… like it’s all your fault, but… I think you’re the only one that sees it that way…” He didn’t have to look around to know that every troll’s attention was on them, but he couldn’t stop now.

“When I was young, just a little troll, I used to sing all the time, just like Poppy…” He could tell he had Trollex’s full attention already. Was he really that out of place, just because he wasn’t like Poppy? “I lived with my grandma Rosiepuff back then…” He closed his eyes, thinking back to his grandma.

He missed her dearly every day, she had been so nice… He couldn’t remember what happened to his real parents, or if he even had both a mom and a dad. All he could remember was Grandma Rosiepuff, and he didn’t mind that. When he next opened his eyes, he could see Trollex’s expression. He already had an idea where this story was going.

“One day, I was singing in the troll tree, back when we were trapped by the Bergens… I was so into the song, that I didn’t hear the Chef coming up behind me, and…” He rubbed at his arm. “Next thing I knew, Grandma was yelling my name, and I turned in time to see Chef grabbing for me, but there was no way I could have gotten away on my own…”

“That was when Grandma pushed me off of the tree… I feel quite a ways, but I did see Chef grab grandma and take her away…” He lowered his head, ears drooping. He still remembered that day like it had just happened… “When a Bergen takes a troll, they don’t come back…”

After a moment of silence, Branch felt the water shifting a bit, and looked up in time to see Trollex coming in for a hug. Normally, he’d have fought it tooth and nail, but right now…? They both needed a hug. He held the other, letting his anxieties wash away in the water for a while.

He always had to be attentive. He couldn’t drop his guard, or he might lose someone else he cared about. But for right now, he felt like he could let the storm of his mind calm for a while. At least a little bit.

As the two stopped hugging, they shared a soft smile. Branch didn’t feel quite so alone, knowing that another troll shared his mindset and a similar situation. “You know, Trollex, I have to give you credit… when I lost my Grandma, I lost everything… her, my music, and my color.” He held his hand up, looking at the gray of his skin. “You managed to keep yours. How’d you manage it?”

Trollex blinked a bit, looking the other over. “Wait, you aren’t normally grey? I just… oh man! I thought that was your natural color!”

Branch chuckled softly. “No, not really… I don’t remember what color I was before anymore, but I know it wasn’t grey.”

Trollex rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish. “Wow… I guess I didn’t really question it… As for why I didn’t lose mine, I think it was because I knew I had to take responsibility of my tribe… after all, when I lost mom and dad, my tribe lost their king and queen…”

Branch hadn’t thought of it that way… “Wow Trollex, I… You’re a lot more mature than I gave you credit for, I’m sorry about that…” When the other waved off his concern, he smiled a bit. He let out an undignified shriek though when he heard a thump on the plastic, and was suddenly reminded there were other trolls listening in.

As he looked around outside the bowl, he realized that every single one of them had been listening. “…Sugar.” His face burned with a blush as he let out a groan, hiding his face in his hands. He could hear Poppy’s sniffling as she pressed her face to the plastic bowl.

“Branch, is that why you never join the parties? Oh, I’m so sorry…” He perked up slightly at that, looking to Cooper, who seemed equally as distressed as Poppy.

But… that didn’t make any sense. He figured that the whole village knew why he was gray… “Poppy, Cooper, did you guys really not know about me?” When they both shook his head, he sighed. “I guess the older trolls didn’t actually tell anyone then…”

Poppy seemed to perk up a little at that, giving him a curious look. “Wait, the older trolls? I know they knew something about you, but I didn’t think it was that serious! Even my dad knew…”

He gave a little nod. “Yeah, of course king Peppy knew. He’s the one that found me after I had fallen to the grass…” It was a bit strange though how Peppy hadn’t even told Poppy… But it didn’t really matter now, he supposed.

He had to admit, being surrounded by trolls that cared for him felt nice… and he didn’t have anyone teasing him for his anxieties here. He smiled, but suddenly something felt wrong. Whatever effect the bubbles Trollex used gave had worn off. In a panic, he quickly kicked off of the bottom of the bowl and broke the surface, taking in a gasp of air. “Whew! Made it…”

Trollex swam up to the surface, looking worriedly at him. “Are you alright, dude? Did the bubble wear off? I am so sorry! I should have been keeping it up-“

Branch held up a hand, cutting Trollex off. “It’s alright Trollex, the bowl isn’t very deep. Besides, now we know about how long those bubbles last, right?” When the other gave a hesitant nod, Branch smiled softly, swimming for the edge. “Then no harm done.”

Once Branch had gotten himself out of the water and onto the floor, he was immediately tackle hugged by Poppy, who managed to pin him to the ground as she cried into his chest. He let out a sigh, not fighting it. There was no point, and besides… he was starting to like physical affection… at least a little.

Still, he was thankful when Barb managed to convince Poppy to get off of him, and let him up. He wrung out his hair a little and put his vest back on as he was accosted by questions from the other trolls. At least Delta and Trollzart kept their respectful distance, but that didn’t stop them fretting over him.

Eventually, he found himself sitting alone with his back against the bowl, chatting with Trollex about nothing in particular as the other trolls went about their own business. It felt good to have opened up, like his heart felt a little warmer…

Maybe there was a reason they were all here, in this strange world full of giants.


	14. Prince D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barb, Prince D, and Cooper decide they want to do something nice for Steven as well, and opt for patching up a shirt damaged in an earlier mission!

It had been nearly a week since Branch and Trollex had the heart to heart, and the trolls seemed to be getting along better than ever. They had watched many of Steven’s adventures from afar by now, and were now confident that they knew how to help.

Steven’s missions seemed to be dangerous, and he nearly always came back with a tear of some sort in his clothes. So Barb, Prince D, and Cooper opted to take on that task. Branch was in charge of food with Delta, and Trollex and Trollzart were often brought along for being the lookout. Poppy usually switched groups, depending on what she was needed for that day.

Today, D and Cooper had decided to keep an ear out for any happenings, and learned that another of Steven’s shirts got torn on a mission, and they decided that now would be the best time to test out their new plan. D smiled at his twin brother, letting his ears drop again. “I think they’re heading out, what do you think, Coop?”

Cooper was practically bouncing. “I think so! I’ll go grab Barb and we can head down to the living room!” They had gotten so used to how sound traveled here now that they could pinpoint where Steven and the “gems” usually were.

They had picked up calling the group of females; Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, the gems thanks to hearing Steven referring to them as such. Barb had been so happy to know someone else realized that the three were named after gemstones she had been nearly intolerably giddy for an entire day.

D didn’t have much he needed to get ready, as he didn’t tend to carry much. He preferred being light and maneuverable, just in case he needed to get out of dodge quickly. As he waited for Cooper and Barb he made his way towards the hole in the frame, taking a peek outside.

He couldn’t hear anything, not even that distant hum that Steven had. He had been trying to figure out what was so different with Steven to anyone else he’d heard.

The few other creatures he’d gotten a chance to listen to so far had very little internal music. Steven’s dad had sounded like Barb, but an older style. That meant he was inclined to rock if it wasn’t his only type of music. The young girl that Steven had brought home the day Trollex traveled to the beach had sounded like Trollzart, but more modern. That set her with Classical.

The gems sounded… similar to Trollex, but fully electronic as opposed to partially organic. They sounded more like synthesizers than any sort of creature he’d heard before. Pearl had sharp, organized sounds, Amethyst was chaos incarnate, and Garnet was… somehow erratic and loud, yet also calm and mellow. It worked well as a single tune, but it was still different enough to catch his attention.

But Steven was something else. He had a calm, organic sound similar to pop, with the sharp tones like a Synthesizer. Almost like he was half organic, and half… whatever the gems had. He had been periodically trying to place the music, or at least figure out what it meant, but… he was stumped.

He perked up when he heard Barb and Cooper approaching, and smiled at them. “You two ready to go?” When they both nodded, Barb bouncing excitedly on her heels, he motioned for them to follow him outside. “Right, let’s go then!”

D already knew the coast was clear, but took a peek just in case. Once he was certain no one was left in the house, he walked out fully. Cooper ran towards the top of the stairs, practically vibrating. “Come on, you two! We’re burnin’ daylight!” He began to leap down the stairs, causing D and Barb to give chase.

Once they reached the bottom, D took a look around. He could see that Steven and the gems had left in a hurry, so whatever it was must have been important. He could see a scrap of red fabric hanging off the table, and began to make his way over towards it. “Hey, check this out! I think that’s Steven’s shirt.”

Barb ran up beside him, glancing up at the fabric. “I think you’re right!” She looked back towards Cooper, who stepped up on her other side. “Ey fluff ball, think you can get us up there?”

With a nod, Cooper pulled his cap off and closed his eyes. After a few moments, his hair began to lengthen, and to give it direction, he whipped his head towards the table top. With a tug, he pulled himself up.

D waited for Cooper to lower his hair to help them up, but nearly jumped out of his fur when Barb started yelling up to him. “Rapunzel Rapunzel, let down your hair!” He covered his mouth, doing his best not to laugh too loudly at the joke.

And in a very Cooper fashion, he looked down at them over the edge of the table, brushing his hair from his face with a flourish. “I dunno man, you worthy of these locks?” He was clearly trying to keep a straight face, not that he was very successful in that.

He was really losing his cool composure between the two, and he had a feeling it would only get worse from here. Barb and Cooper seemed to click in a way he had never seen other trolls accomplish, though his brother seemed able to get along with anyone. It was an admirable quality for sure!

He jumped back slightly in surprise as Cooper’s hair lowered to them, and Barb quickly started to climb up. D was right behind her, and Cooper pulled them the rest of the way up. Once they all had their feet on the table, D took a moment to see what they were working with.

He could see Steven’s shirt laying on the table, and a pin cushion with a sewing needle sticking out of it, but there was something pretty important missing… “He, dudes? Where’s the thread?”

Barb jogged forward, glancing between the two items before giving a little shrug. “I don’t see any, so how are we supposed to sew the shirt? I may be good at mending, but I still need thread!”

He stepped up beside her, and grabbed the edge of the shirt, lifting it as high as he could to peek under it. Still no thread… what could they do? He looked back towards Cooper. “Any idea- uuh, Coop, what are you doing?”

Cooper was currently pulling patches of loose fur from himself, shaking more off as he went. Somehow, he managed to build up a pile that was as large as his torso! Once he seemed to have gotten every strand of loose fur off, he plopped down and started to fiddle with the pile.

Barb and D shared a curious look, before stepping closer to see just what the other was doing. As soon as they saw him twirling fur in his hands, Barb gasped sharply. “Oh, dude! Are you MAKING thread?”

He looked up from his work and grinned brightly at her. “You know it~.”

Soon, all three were working together to weave Coopers fur into thread, made much easier with the properties Funk fur had. As they wove, they chatted about whatever came to mind. Eventually, the discussion fell to their opinions of this new world they were stuck in.

Barb hummed slightly, looking over towards the stone part of the house. “So what do you guys think?”

Cooper and he both perked up, looking over to her. D tilted his head slightly; did he miss a part of the conversation? “Think about what?”

She perked up a bit, seeming to realize that she missed something. “Oops, sorry! I guess I was talking in my head again. What do you guys think of this place? I kinda really dig it here. Sure, it’s a bit scary sometimes, but this place is so different!”

“For sure! But I gotta wonder how BIG this world is!” Cooper looked over towards the window, eyes glittering. “I kinda wanna see it all!”

He had to admit, D wanted to see more too. So far, only three trolls have left the house; Branch, Trollex, and Delta. Since Delta had deemed the tide pools… mostly safe, Trollex had been leaving every day to go for a swim, and since then he seemed to be happier and healthier than ever.

Beyond that, none of the others had left the confines of the house, and some were going a little stir crazy from it. Poppy always went crazy for Trollex’s stories of his time outside, but oddly, whenever he’d offer to take her, she’d say no.

As the three continued to chat, topics shifting constantly depending on what caught their interest, they managed to quickly get a good length of thread woven from Cooper’s fur. Barb tested its strength, then gave a nod of approval. “This’ll work great! Come on guys; let’s get this shirt patched up!” She wound the thread into a ball, then stood and ran towards the shirt and needle.

The twins followed along after her, and D took a look at the shirt. It seemed as though the sleeve was torn at the sleeve, but the hole was large enough for him to slip through. He hoped they had made enough thread…

He looked over as he saw Barb approaching with the now threaded needle, grinning brightly. The needle was about half her height, so it was more like a sword for her. This didn’t seem to escape her notice, as she began to playfully jab the needle at imaginary enemies. “Oh, this could make a great sword! I kinda wanna keep it… I can use it to patch other stuff up to!”

He wasn’t entirely sure that was a good idea, since there was only the one in the pin cushion, but if they planned on doing this more often, they’d need to keep the needle. He nodded to her. “Yeah, I think it’s a good idea to keep it. I’m sure they’ve got more around anyway, Pearl always seems ready for anything, from what I’ve heard.”

Barb let out an excited whoop, dancing in place before she brandished her new sewing needle sword towards the tear in the shirt. “Get ready, shirt, Imma patch you up so good no one will even know you existed!” And so she got to work, getting him and Cooper to hold the fabric up while she sewed.

It was interesting seeing the hard rock princess work. While usually she could be loud and abrasive, while she concentrated on sewing she was silent. It was an interesting change to see, and he watched as she checked each stitch she made.

As they worked, D thought about Steven, and how he always seemed so chipper. He looked up at Cooper, who stood at the opposite end of the tear. From what he’d heard from the group though, Steven was the odd one out. The gems sounded different from the other ones that had come by, Connie and Steven’s dad. Steven was somehow a mix of both, and his emotions were easy to hear in his heart song.

He wished there was something they could do to reassure and Comfort Steven when he’s down. Now that he had his brother back, he couldn’t possibly imagine living without that warmth… He smiled softly, hoping this shirt became one that Steven wore often; it would be nice to think he liked their help, even if they couldn’t talk to him directly.

As Barb put the final stitch in and finished it off, she grinned widely. “And done! Come on; let’s head back before the others-“ She was cut off by the sound of the warp gate. “Scatter!” She leapt off of the table and dove under the couch, the twins following behind. They’d have to sneak upstairs once the place cleared out again.

As the light dissipated, D could see Steven and the gems on the pad, and Steven hopped off, smiling brightly as he chatted with the gems. One was carrying a bubble with another crystal in it, and he assumed it was like the creature Trollex had seen in the ocean.

As Steven walked past the table, he paused and looked down at it. “Pearl, I didn’t know you fixed my shirt! Thanks!” He started to pull off the shirt he was already wearing, and that’s when D spotted the large pink crystal in the boy's stomach. How cool, he was like Trollzart!

Pearl spoke up, her voice carrying a definite tone of alarm. “What? Steven, no I didn’t. I was planning on it before the mission, but I didn’t have time… It’s not fixed yet, so don’t—what in the name of—how?!” She ran forward, snatching the shirt from Steven and looking at the place the tear once was. The only sign it had been mended was a slightly different color thread.

As the three gems began to argue about who might have done it, Steven took the shirt back from Pearl and slipped it on over his head. As it settled, his eyes widened. “It… feels like a warm hug…” He looked towards the painting of the pink woman over the door. “Mom…?”

He could hear sad music from the boy, something slow and melancholy, before it began to shift to cheery again as he snuggled into the shirt. “Hey, guys? I’m heading upstairs to play video games.” When he received no response from the bickering gems, he made his way up the stairs.

D looked over at Barb and Cooper, and could tell by their faces that they heard what Steven had said, and were worried for him. He was too, and he was happy that he liked the gift… though it seemed to have caused some problems for the gems. Maybe they hadn’t been being careful enough?

It took nearly an hour for the three women to disband, giving the three a chance to get back to the others. They slowly snuck out from under the couch, and began making their way towards the stairs. They had to keep quiet, since they had no way of knowing what Steven was doing.

Once they made it to the final step, Cooper offered to give Barb a lift, and she stood on his head as she peeked out over the edge. She signaled for them to stay quiet as she pulled herself over the edge. Once the three were on the top floor, they could see Steven playing video games, sitting on the end of the bed.

He was still wearing the shirt that they had repaired, and D couldn’t help but grin.

They crossed the last bit of distance to the bed, and slipped in through the hole. While normally they knew they’d be questioned immediately upon return, they could still hear the T.V. running, so it was safe to assume they’d be heard if they spoke.

By the time Steven stopped playing his games and fell asleep; most of the trolls were asleep as well. D was still awake, lying next to Cooper as his twin brother slept soundly. He knew Steven had a living dad, and from what he’d heard today, his mom passed before he’d ever met her.

He looked over at Cooper as the sleeping troll snuggled into him, and he chuckled softly, nuzzling into Cooper’s fur as he let his eyes slide shut. He was so grateful to have family with him. It made him feel much less alone.


	15. Steven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has been watching the gems become more and more stressed lately, and a new mysterious shell is the final straw as Pearl demands the gifts be thrown away. Steven refuses, and storms of to cool his head.

It was a bright, sunny morning in Beach city, and Steven had just woken up. He let out a yawn, covering his mouth as he did. As he blinked and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he let out a content sigh. He was wearing the T-Shirt that Pearl apparently hadn’t fixed, since he had decided to turn it into a pyjama shirt. He didn’t want to risk this one getting damaged, since it felt more comforting than any other shirt he had.

As he pulled himself out of bed, stretching out his muscles to wake them a little faster, he began to get himself changed into the day’s clothes. He began to hum as he made his way downstairs, but paused as he passed his bedside table. On it was a small jar, which he swore had a new item in it every day.

He peeked into the bowl, and sure enough, there was a new shell in it! He gently lifted it out, and looked it over. It was a simple cone shaped shell, one that was about the size of the tip of his finger. He at first thought it was Pearl, since the first thing he found on his bedside was a small pearl, but when she denied it he had been very surprised!

There had been a few other strange things, like his food going missing in tiny bits from the fridge and cupboards. If it had been Amethyst, she’d have taken a lot more. If it had been Onion, it would have only been Chaaaaaps taken.

He set the shell back into the bowl, and began to head downstairs and to the bathroom. So far, this room and the Temple had been the only ones unaffected by whatever was happening in the house. Honestly? Steven suspected ghosts!

He had heard Pearl muttering about pebbles, but how would little rocks do all that stuff? It wasn’t all bad that a bit of his food went missing; he was used to Amethyst taking a lot more. He was really happy though that he got those shells in the morning, it was always a nice surprise! He just wanted to meet whoever was doing this stuff. Maybe he could invite them out for doughnuts some time?

Actually… that gave Steven a really good idea! He finished getting himself together in the bathroom, and ran out into the living room. He was greeted by an irritated looking Pearl, who was pacing in the main room. “Good morning, Pearl!”

Pearl didn’t acknowledge him right away, so he stepped up behind her and tugged at her skirt lightly. She nearly leapt out of her skin with surprise as she whipped around to face him. She seemed so jumpy! “Oh! Steven, it’s just you… How are you today?”

He smiled brightly. “I found another shell in my bowl this morning!” That…. Seemed to have been the wrong thing to start off with, Pearl’s eyes widened, her shoulders tense as she stared up towards the bedroom. “Steven, I want you to get rid of those shells, something isn’t right! None of us are leaving them for you, so it can’t be safe!”

He perked up a little at that. There was nothing bad about the shells, it was just strange that they kept appearing, that was all. “But Pearl, I used to bring shell's in all the time when I was younger, so what’s wrong with these ones?”

She shook her head. “It isn’t the same, and you know it! What if it’s some trick or something? Or a trap? Get rid of the shells, Steven, it’s too big a risk!” Pearl stamped her foot on the ground, clearly frustrated.

He felt anger flare up inside of him. “Pearl, they’re shells! Y’know, from the ocean? Just outside our door? If they are from someone else, I’m definitely not getting rid of them! They’re a gift, and that would be plain old rude!”

It was at this moment, as though knowing tensions were flaring, that Garnet and Amethyst stepped out from the door to the temple. Amethyst looked laid back, but there was something about the way she held herself right now that seemed tense. “Yo, sup Pearl, Ste-man?”

Pearl turned to the others, gesturing at Steven. “I am TRYING to get Steven to get rid of the shells! They can’t mean anything good, especially if we’d never do something like this!”

Steven felt another flare of frustration at that statement. Good to know the gems wouldn’t do this sort of thing for him. He liked waking up in the morning to a new shell; it made him happy, and really got his morning started on the right foot!

Amethyst glanced at Steven, and then gave a non-committal shrug. “Dude, can’t you just go collect your own?”

He harrumphed, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s not the same, Amethyst! Those shells mean something good, I just know it!” He shot a glare up at Pearl, who seemed taken aback slightly. “So I won’t get rid of them!”

Pearl gasped, looking to Garnet with a pleading expression. “Garnet, say something!”

Garnet seemed frustrated, pressing two fingers to her temple, rubbing lightly. “Pearl, you know I can’t right now. Just drop it, we’ll discuss it later.”

Steven bristled, his voice rising in frustration. “What’s there to decide? I’m keeping the shells!”

Pearl spun on him. “Steven enough! I’m throwing out those shells, right now!”

Oh no, not a chance! He turned and ran for the stairs, practically falling up them as he grabbed the bowl of shells, and the shirt just in case. “I won’t let you, Pearl!” He ran back down the stairs, and shouldered his way through the door. He heard it crack against the siding, but didn’t stop to look for any damage. He just needed to find a place to hide this stuff! Or at least to get away from the gems for a bit.

His eyes burned as he ran. It was so unfair! The gems barely took him on missions, and even when they did, he was always treated as a burden! He was a Crystal Gem too, wasn’t he? With his free hand, he clutched at the pink gemstone in his stomach. His mom would have let him have the shells…

He quickly made it to town, and slowed to a near stop. He rubbed at his eyes in an attempt to dry them as he looked at the big doughnut. “I… I need a snack…” He clutched the bowl and shirt to his chest, making his way towards his favourite pastry shop.

As he pushed himself through the door, he felt so heavy. He had decided to wrap the shirt around the bowl to keep any shells from spilling.

He perked up though when he heard a kind female voice address him. “Hey Steven, how are you doing today?” He looked up behind the counter, and saw Sadie Miller there, one of the two who worked at the big doughnut.

He gave a small smile and a wave. “Hey, Sadie… can I have the usual…?”

As he approached the counter, digging in his pockets for his change, Sadie got the double chocolate doughnut and slipped it into a paper bag. After a few more moments of rustling, she stood up again and set the bag on the counter.

As he was about to hand her his change, she gently pushed his hand back towards him. He blinked in surprise, looking up at her. “I’ll give you the doughnut if you tell me what’s wrong, Steven.” When he tried to say he was fine, she gave him a knowing look. “Steven you’re in here often enough that I know when you’re coming in for comfort food.”

He bit his lip a bit, and then sighed. He felt like he needed someone to talk to. They ended up in the back room, Sadie going on break as she kicked Lars to the front to do his actual job. The two each had a doughnut while Steven showed Sadie the shirt and bowl of shells, told her what had been happening lately, and how the gems had yelled at him for wanting to keep them, and that’s why he had come to get a doughnut.

By the end of the tale, Sadie looked more like a demon! She seemed fuming mad, pushing herself up from her chair as she began to storm out the door. “Why those insufferable—I’m going to teach them just how—you can’t just—AARGH!”

As she stormed past a very nervous Lars, she glanced at him. “Watch the store; I’ll be right back…” Steven chased after her as she left the store, heading straight towards the temple!

Steven panted as he ran out in front of her, trying to stop her. “S-Sadie wait! Hold on! Getting mad at the gems won’t help, they’re just worried! I think…” He could tell he wasn’t being very convincing right now… “R-Really! I’m sure they’ll be alright when I go back later, just… Please don’t be mad at them…?” He might be frustrated, but he didn’t want any more yelling, especially if it was his fault…

Sadie looked between Steven, and the cliff where the Temple stood, and sighed. The rage seemed to drain out of her, and she smiled at him. “Alright, alright… but if they do it again, I’ll definitely give them a piece of my mind!”

He smiled at her, grateful that someone had his back. As happy as Sadie’s intentions made him, he wasn’t about to start a fight. He gave Sadie a hug, which seemed to catch her off guard. Even so, she returned it a few moments later, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “Thanks, Sadie.”

As the two parted ways again, he looked back towards his home. Maybe he’d give the gems a bit more time to cool off… His dad would probably like his shell collection! He ran off towards the carwash, grinning from ear to ear. He wouldn’t tell him exactly how he had gotten them, but at least he might appreciate them!

As he ran through the town, he passed by Onion. Steven did his best not to really acknowledge him. There was something…unsettling, about Onion. As he turned the corner towards the car wash, he felt the other boy’s eyes following him, right up until he was out of sight.

As he eventually reached the wash, he could see his dad outside, fiddling with something in the back of the van. He ran up behind him, and tapped his back. “Hey dad!”

The scream Greg let out was far from dignified, and he jumped in surprise as his dad spun around with a waffle iron in hand. As Greg slowly came to realize who had startled him, he sighed, tossing the iron back into the van. “Steven, you scared me half to death! I nearly waffled you!”

Steven giggled, knowing full well that his dad would never hurt him, even accidentally. “Hey, dad, check this out!” He gently pulled the shirt off of the bowl, and hooked it over his arm, before holding the bowl out for Greg to see.

His dad leaned forward, examining the bowl and letting out an appreciative whistle. “Wow, nice collection Steven! Where’d you find all these?”

He smiled a little. “I didn’t find them dad, someone…” He looked down at the shells, and the sparkling little pearl. “They’re from a friend!”

Greg stood straight, rubbing at his chin in thought. “A friend, huh? Well, that’s nice of them! Did you say thank you yet?”

Steven’s eyes widened. He’d forgotten about his plan, he had to get back to the big doughnut! He covered the shells with the shirt again, and began to run off. “I forgot something, I’ll see you later, dad!”

Greg tilted his head, watching as his son ran off again. He could be such a hyper boy… He smiled. He reminded him so much of Rose…

As Steven eventually returned to the Big Doughnut, he burst through the door excitedly, startling both Lars and Sadie. Steven was a little surprised to see Lars was up and mopping the floor. That was rare… He ran up to the counter, slapping his change down onto the desk. “SADIE! I need a doughnut for my seashell friend!”

Sadie laughed, nodding. “Alright, Steven. I was a little worried when you came running back so soon, but I guess it’s something good!” Before Sadie was even able to reach for the doughnuts, Lars had come running behind the counter, grabbing it for her. Now that was something he didn’t see every day!

She watched Lars with a bit of a smug expression, waiting for him to be distracted with handing Steven the doughnut. When he was, she shot Steven a wink, and suddenly jumped up, letting out a roar that scared Lars right over the counter! Steven laughed, holding his stomach as he watched the ever so jumpy Lars get ready to protect himself from Sadie, who had fallen out of her stool laughing.

Lars huffed, and stomped off to the back room, muttering under his breath as he did. “Torture me, why don’t you? Act like a demon and then tease me… humph!”

Sadie finally recovered from her laughing fit, pulling herself up to sit on the stool again. “I kind of wish I hadn’t done that now, I was kinda enjoying the break!”

Steven laughed, setting the Doughnut bag on top of the shirt. “I wish I could stay, Sadie, but I should be getting home. I’m gonna give this doughnut to the one who left me the shell!”

He waved goodbye to her, and ran back out of the store. He was happy to have a gift for the gift giver, and he’d have to write a note on the bag, saying it was for them! As he ran along the beach, he began to slow. He stopped on the sand when he spotted his house attached to the Temple.

He really hoped the gems weren’t home… he didn’t really want to have to defend the shells again, but there was no way he would let them take them… wait! He grinned brightly to himself, knowing just what to do with the shells!

With a new pep in his step, he ran the rest of the way to the house, and burst through the front door. A quick look around and he could tell the gems were probably out. A grin split his face as he ran about the house, gathering the things he needed; scissors, a spool of yarn, and something sharp and long to punch holes through the shells.

He set everything down on the living room table, and got to work. He pulled out each shell, and with a gentle hand he worked to punch holes through each shell, some of them he set aside, too worried about shattering them.

Once each shell he could put a hole into was done, he began to arrange them in a way he thought looked nice. He looked at his arrangement, but it still didn’t feel right. After a few more tries, he got one that he was satisfied with. He started by tying the pearl in a net like weave. It was just enough to see it, but it was still secure.

Once he had the center, he began to string on the shells in the order he'd set, humming softly as he did. It took him a while, and a whole lot of nearly dropping the shells, but he eventually managed to complete the shell necklace!

He held it up to the light, admiring it. The Pearl in the center shone in the sunlight, and he leapt from the couch, running towards the door and holding it up to the picture on the wall. “Look mom, what do you think?”

As always, the picture remains silent, but he continued anyway. He tied the necklace behind his head, and let it fall on his chest. Whenever he wanted to hide it, he could just tuck it under his shirt!  
I think I look pretty good!”

He looked towards the doughnut he had bought, and grabbed it off the table, running it up the stairs. “Now I have to leave my thank you present!” He set the doughnut on the side table, and pulled out a pen and pad of paper.

He tapped at his chin lightly, humming in thought. What would he write? He didn’t have too much room on the paper, so it would have to be a short message… Something to show he appreciated what they were doing, and that the doughnut was a gift… Oh, maybe he could draw it!

He began to draw up a picture, tongue sticking out in his concentration. Once he deemed it complete, he tore the paper out and set it on top of the doughnut.

Now, he had to wait. They’d probably come out at night, so he’d have to be asleep… he was just so excited!!


	16. Trollex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trollex and Trollzart spend a few hours on the town, and finally hear some of the music the locals like!
> 
> The song featured in this chapter is: Lindsey sterling - Shatter me

Trollex was currently curled up in a ball, hidden inside Trollzart’s sock bed. He had heard the big fight with the gems, and he felt it was his fault that Steven had gotten into trouble. It was just seashells! Ones he’d gotten on his trips to the beach! He really didn’t know why they were a problem, but… apparently they were?

It didn’t really matter the reasons… Steven was in trouble, and it was his fault. He let out a small whine, curling up a little tighter. He jumped slightly when he felt someone touch his back through the sock, and slowly uncurled to poke his head out. It was Trollzart!

“Trollzart…? Sorry, do you need your bed? I’ll get out now…” He pulled himself free from the sock, and floated up into the air.

The other just gave a small, sympathetic smile. “Trollex, the fighting has stopped for now, and I believe Steven has left again… Would you like to come with me for a flight?”

Trollex perked up slightly at that, tilting his head. “A flight? Trollzart, are you sure?”

With a confident nod, the conductor made his way towards the entrance. “Of course! I’ve already discussed it with the others, and said that you were going to accompany me. After all.” He looked back towards Trollex. “I cannot go safely on my own, and you are the only other flight capable troll here.”

He had a point there… Trollzart most likely wouldn’t be able to carry another troll without needing to cut his time outside short, and that hardly seems fair… Besides, a distraction did sound nice. He nodded, a small smile tugging at his cheeks. “Alright, I’ll come with you.”

“Spiffy!” Trollzart continued his trek for the entrance, Trollex following behind now. As they slipped out of the hole and into the light, Trollex couldn’t help but look up towards the top of the night stand. He wanted to check… to see if Steven did get rid of the shells.

“I… I’ll be right back, Trollzart…” He zipped straight upwards, and when he got to the top, his heart sank. He couldn’t see the bowl or shells anymore… He could hardly blame him though; he did get in trouble for it…

Trollzart had followed him up, and had looked over the side table. After a moment, he flitted down to land on a paper bag with a note on top. As Trollzart scanned over the note, he grinned brightly. “Do not be so down, Trollex. I believe Steven still has the shells… and has left us a gift as thanks!”

He zipped down, looking at the piece of paper. On it was a rough drawing of Steven, holding out the bag beneath the note, with—“Wait, is that a shell necklace…?” Sure enough, the little drawing of Steven had a necklace that looked to be made of seashells in the drawing, with an arrow pointing to it, and another arrow pointing to the bag.

With a nod, Trollzart rolled up the paper, and held it close. “I believe it is, and that this is our gift. Would you mind carrying it to the hideout? I wish to see it before we begin our adventure in earnest.”

He grabbed hold of the edge of the bag, and gave his fins a flick to haul it into the air. It wasn’t overly heavy, but he was happy he didn’t have to travel any higher with it. The two flying trolls made their way back down, and slipped under the bed.

Once the others had realized that the two were back early, Branch became nervous. “Did something go wrong out there? And… what is THAT?” He gestured to the large bag Trollex was dragging across the floor to them.

“It is a gift from Steven, as thanks for the seashells Trollex has been leaving him.” Trollzart smiled at Trollex, who blushed brightly, his ear fins twitching. He had gotten in a lot of trouble at first, when Branch caught on that Trollex was leaving gifts for Steven. Thankfully though, Trollzart and Delta had managed to convince Branch that if nothing bad had happened so far, then it wasn’t likely to go wrong now.

And to think, they got a thank you gift for it! He had just wanted to make Steven happy, especially after he saw what the boy went through every other day. He was positively giddy as he stared down at the bag. He could barely keep himself from tearing into it, but he wanted to let Trollzart finish explaining the note to them.

He only really tuned back into the conversation when Trollzart tapped his arm, and he realized all the other trolls were looking at him expectantly. Barb crossed her arms over her chest, grinning. “So, fish stick, you gonna open that thing or what?”

He needed no second bidding, pouncing on the bag and tearing the top off. What was inside was something that he had never seen before, but judging from the excited reaction of the others, it must be something good!

Poppy let out a happy squeal, clapping her hands. “Ohmygosh, I think that’s the biggest donut I’ve ever seen!”

He tilted his head slightly. “What’s a ‘donut’?” The combined looks of shock on the others' faces told him it was something that most trolls knew of. He admitted it smelled good, so it was probably food? Though… there was that strange orange with the white stem that tasted terrible…

Branch stepped forward, pulling out a short knife he carried often to cut out a chunk of the donut, before handing it to Trollex. “Give it a try, Trollex, it’s really good.”

He took the piece, watching Branch hand out other pieces of the donut for a few moments before turning his attention to his own. Well…. Down the hatch! He took a bite out of it, and almost instantly his eyes widened. It was so sweet and fluffy! HE couldn’t help himself, devouring the piece quickly.

Once he was done, he gave a content sigh, wiping a bit of the chocolate glaze from his cheek. He was practically purring… wait… He perked up, and looked at the others, who were looking up at him happily. He just realized he’d been making those happy noises again…! He blushed brightly, covering his face and letting out a whine.

It wasn’t his fault that Techno trolls had echolocation… he couldn’t help his chirps and clicks! Trollzart chuckled softly, flying forward and gestured towards the entrance. “Perhaps we should bid farewell and be on our way? We are burning daylight, after all.”

Trollex didn’t take his face from his hands, but nodded. He could feel Trollzart’s hand on his arm, guiding him out from under the bed. Once he could feel the warm sun on his scales, he sighed, finally dropping his hands. “Ugh… I hate when I do that! It’s a kid thing… most adults can control it!”

Trollzart gave him a curious look. “But Trollex, pardon my saying this, but you are young. You’ve still so much time to learn and grow and mature… give yourself time to be young, it’s not something you can retrieve once lost.” Trollzart patted his own chest, grinning brightly. “Take it from this old grandpa.”

He looked over at the elder troll, and smiled softly. “I guess… alright, well…” He grinned. “Let’s see if you can keep up with a kid, grandpop!” He darted off into the air, laughing as he did. He was a bit surprised when Trollzart caught up, but it did make some sense… he was a natural born flyer, while Trollex could only fly because of his ability.

They slipped out the hole in the front door, and soon hit open sky. He took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of warm, salty sea air. He didn’t know how much water this place might have, but he was glad that there was some here.

Trollzart zipped straight upwards, and Trollex did his best to follow. He needed to use track skip several times to keep up, but being so high in the open sky it was unlikely that anyone would notice the light he produced. Once they were high enough, the two slowed to a stop, and looked down.

This place was absolutely massive! They couldn’t even see the whole place from their vantage point, but neither felt comfortable flying much higher. They were already well above the cliff that overlooked Steven’s house.

As his eyes wandered over the landscape, he looked down towards the house, and let out a startled gasp. “Grandpa, check it out! The cliff above the house, is… is that a carving of someone around here?”

Trollzart looked down, and seemed just as shocked by the massive stone woman carved into the cliff face. “Fascinating… I do wonder what purpose the muse for this carving served in this land's history…”

He looked over at the older troll, tilting his head curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Well, in most cases, artisans will not spend so much time creating a statue of this size and wonder without a good reason, and often the subjects of pieces this large made from the landscape are leaders, saviours, or heroes.”

As Trollzart finished his thought, he tapped at his chin lightly. “But I have yet to see anything like this here so far… it could be artistic licence, but the figure appears to have multiple arms…”

With a quick count, Trollex realized that the other was right. Of those he could count, it seemed the giant figure had a total of eight arms! Yikes… he couldn’t imagine having any more than two! “I don’t know… but I feel like it’s staring at me…!” He felt a chill crawl up his scales, and darted off. He wasn’t sure he was going to sleep at night, knowing THAT was hanging over him…

The two trolls quickly found themselves flying over the town, taking in the sites as best they could. He couldn’t believe how huge this world was! He paused in his flight as he spotted something strange. “Hey, Grandpa, isn’t that… a donut?”

As the other stopped in his flight, he gestured down towards the buildings below. Sure enough, on top of one of the buildings, was a humongous donut! Trollzart took a moment to rub his eyes, staring down in shock. “Based on how high we are, that donut would be larger than even Symphonyville!” He bit his lip lightly. “How truly terrifying… What sort of creature could eat such a monstrous desert…?”

Trollex couldn’t help his natural curiosity, and dove down towards the donut. As he got closer, it became clearer and clearer that it was a part of the building below it. “I think it’s a sign, actually!” He slowed his descent, and approached the donut, tapping it lightly with his knuckles. A metal ding was the resulting sound. “Definitely a sign, unless they eat metal here!”

Trollzart chuckled softly. “I highly doubt that… Perhaps this is where Steven got that donut he gave us?”

Trollex sniffed the air, and let out a content sigh. Yeah, he could definitely smell donuts. He followed the scent towards the back of the store, and found a door propped open to let the heat out and the cool air in. He couldn’t help himself, peeking in through the space left by the door.

What he saw gave him pause, as he watched a woman, similar in height to Steven, if a little taller, balancing on a chair to set a box on a high shelf. As she did, he realized she was singing a song as she worked. The two trolls found themselves riveted, watching as the woman danced and sang her heart out.

I pirouette in the dark  
I see the stars through me  
Tired mechanical heart  
Beats til the song disappears  
Somebody shine a light  
I'm frozen by the fear in me  
Somebody make me feel alive  
And shatter me  
So cut me from the line  
Dizzy, spinning endlessly  
Somebody make me feel alive  
And shatter me!  
Shatter me!  
Somebody make me feel alive  
And shatter me!  
If only the clockworks could speak  
I wouldn't be so alone  
We burn every magnet and spring  
And spiral into the unknown  
Somebody shine a light  
I'm frozen by the fear in me  
Somebody make me feel alive  
And shatter me  
So cut me from the line  
Dizzy, spinning endlessly  
Somebody make me feel alive  
And shatter me!  
Shatter me!  
Somebody make me feel alive  
And shatter me!  
If I break the glass, then I'll have to fly  
There's no one to catch…

The two looked at each other, Trollex’s heart racing with the music he’d just heard. He was positively giddy! Even Trollzart looked full of new energy. “What a beautiful voice! I have never heard music like that before, though…”

Trollex nodded, looking back into the building. He knew it wasn’t Techno, that was for sure, but it wasn’t all that bad, either! As he wondered just what the song could be, he didn’t realize that Trollzart had slipped past him, and into the building. By the time he realized it, the other was well out of reach. He called out in a whispering hiss. “Grandpa, what are you doing?!”

The golden troll beckoned him to follow, so he dimmed his lights down to as far as they’d go, turning him nearly black. He covered his heart with his hands to hide the last of the glow, and flew in after him. As they stuck near the ceiling, they watched as the girl let out a sigh, stepping down from her chair and pressing the pause button on the radio. Once she was sure the music was off, she made her way to the other room.

Once the coast was clear, Trollex looked towards the other. “Grandpa, I want to give her something. You know, as a thank you for the donut before! Plus, as a thank you for the song, even if she doesn’t know we were listening.”

The older troll gave a nod, and the two made their way out of the building. “So we must find gifts for both this donut woman, and Steven, correct?”

He paused for a moment in the air. “How did you know I wanted to pick something up for Steven?”

Trollzart let out a jovial chuckle. “It is not hard to guess, Trollex. After all, you are a very sweet young troll, which seems bent on making others happy.” He smiled. “It’s an admirable trait to have.”

As Trollex tried his best to hide his bright blush, and darted along the row of buildings, focusing more on trying to calm himself than his surroundings. Suddenly, he collided with something soft, letting out a soft oof. After a moment of shaking the stars from his vision, he looked ahead to see what he’d collided with.

And he nearly screamed.

It was another creature like Steven! This one was definitely taller, with yellow hair done up in curly dreads. As their eyes met, Trollex had a moment to realize that he had royally messed up.

The creature gasped sharply, suddenly beginning to fumble in his pockets for something. “OoooOOOOH MY GOSH! I gotta get a picture of this for my blog!”

Trollex felt like a deer in headlights, the only thing that snapped him from his stunned state was Trollzart flying up and tugging his arm, pulling him upwards. By the time the Steven looking creature had gotten out what he had been reaching for, the two trolls were now up in the sky. They could hear him yelling after them, begging them to come back.

They didn’t stop flying for a good, long while. Eventually they made it up to the top of a hill that overlooked another part of the city. The two landed in the grass, panting as they calmed themselves.

He still couldn’t believe he’d almost gotten them both caught. He pressed his face into his palms, groaning as he berated himself internally. “I can’t believe this… we were seen, and it’s my fault…!” He curled in on himself a bit, sighing. “I should have been watching where I was going…”

Trollzart stepped over to him, which was admittedly a bit of a funny sight, given how short his legs were. “Do not worry so much, Trollex. At least that one did not try to hurt us… at least, so far as I was able to tell. I doubt any would believe him if he spoke of us anyway.” He smiled. “So do not fret, my boy.”

He smiled a bit, and rolled over, lying on his back to watch the clouds pass by. He’d never really stopped to appreciate it yet, but… “The sky is beautiful… those are clouds, right? My mom and dad told me about them.”

The older troll moved to lie beside the other, now staring up at the clouds as well. “Yes, those are clouds… My home, Symphonyville, is in the mountains. As such, I am used to seeing clouds from above… From below, they seem from an entirely different world…”

“Well, I mean, these ARE from a different world.” It was still a bit strange to think about, but he had gotten a bit more used to this world at last.

The two lay in comfort for a while, cloud watching in silence as the day passed by. Suddenly, Trollzart pushed himself off of the ground, and launched into the air. Trollex was barely out of the grass by the time he caught sight of the other, who was chasing after what appeared to be a pink flower flowing in the breeze.

He could definitely go and help. He knew he could, but… He couldn’t help watching the other chasing the flower in circles through the air. Eventually, when the flower was caught, Trollzart did a celebratory flip in the air before zipping over to him. “F-Finally… I caught it!”

He tilted his head slightly, taking a closer look at the flower. “And what exactly did you catch?”

“A flower I have never seen before… I thought that, perhaps, the woman at the shop may like it as a thank you gift?” As he held it out, he was able to get a bit of a better look at it. It was a deep pink flower, with a long middle piece.

He sniffed it, and sneezed softly. “It smells nice, and it looks really pretty!” He sneezed again. “I just… hope she doesn’t sneeze-“ Another sneeze. “Like me…”

With a soft chuckle, Trollzart held the flower close to himself. Were he not flying, Trollex wasn’t even sure the other would be able to hold it, it was bigger than he was, after all!

Now Trollex had to think of a gift for both Steven and the donut lady. He would love to get donut lady a shell, that should be fine, but for Steven he’d have to think of something else… He tapped at his chin, looking down over the town. It was such an amazing place, maybe he could get Steven something from around the town?

He gave his tail fins a flick and began to make his way back down towards the buildings. He was sure there was something that he could find… As he flew over roofs, Trollzart close behind, he thought about things he’d noticed that Steven enjoyed. Certain types of food he seemed to prefer, so maybe they could make him something? No, that might be a bit of a risk…

He sighed, but stopped when he heard loud noises coming from the building below him. What kind of place was this…? He flew to the edge of the roof, and hung over the edge to take a peak within. His eyes widened. It looked so much like Techno Reef in a way!

He dimmed his light, covered his heart, and slipped inside. A backwards glance and he realized Trollzart had opted for staying near the entrance. In the sunlight, the elder trolls could be mistaken for a glint off of metal, and his colors helped against the sand, but in this dark place with neon lights, it was his turf!

He zipped around, keeping to the deeper shadows as he watched a small version of Steven throwing balls into a net. He watched for a few minutes, when suddenly the boy looked straight at him. His eyes widened, and he double checked to make sure his heart was covered and his glow was nearly down to nothing. There’s no way he was seen…!

What surprised him most was when the young boy gave him a thumbs up before returning to what he was doing. What strange creatures… still, he had best get out of here… He was about to leave, when he spotted a golden glint on the floor under one of the loud machines.

He couldn’t help it, and zipped down through the shadows to slip under the machine. What he found below was…. admittedly a bit disturbing. It was dusty, he saw a spider that was as big as he was, and nearly shrieked when it stepped towards him. He was also pretty sure he found a tooth, but he was here for something specific.

He didn’t want to spend any more time under this thing, and darted towards the shiny metal disc on the ground, and scooped it up. It was heavier than he had expected, but he was still able to lift it at least. As he flew out from under the machine, and into open air. He let out a sigh, glad to be out of the dust, and made his way towards Trollzart.

Once the two met up, Trollzart began to fret over him. “Trollex what were you thinking? There was no way I could follow you… What if something had happened…?”

He smiled softly. “It’s alright Trollzart.” He looked back towards the building, thinking about the kid that had seen him. “Nothing happened.”

As the two set off again, Trollzart looked down at the flower he carried. “I wish we could stay to see the reaction of that donut woman. Perhaps we will be able to ask her someday…” He smiled. “I have a feeling that she is one we can trust.”

Trollex gave a nod. “Yeah, and Steven! That Connie girl seemed nice to… and even his dad!” He looked down, spotted the donut shop, and began to dive towards it. “I’m still not sure about those girls he’s with so often…” He shivered. “Barb and I almost got caught by the tallest one once.”

“You what?? You never mentioned that to anyone!” Trollzart was clearly rethinking Trollex and Barb being let out together again… not that they’d had permission the first time.

He smiled nervously, trying to distract the other troll. “Hey, Grandpa, I think the girl's gone for now. We can sneak in and leave your gift!”

Trollzart shot the other a look that said ‘this conversation isn’t over’ before flying in through the propped open door. He poked his head around the doorframe to see, but didn’t dare fly in. Even if he dimmed his light, the golden disk would stick out like a sore thumb! Instead he watched as Trollzart set the flower on top of the radio the donut lady had used earlier before he flew back to the door.

Trollzart sighed once he was back outside with him, and glanced back into the building. “I do hope she likes it… it was nice to hear music like that again.” He let out a wistful sigh. “Oh how I wish I had my instruments… to show you all the wonder of classical would make my heart sing~”

Trollex smiled softly, watching as the other hummed a soft tune, flitting up in the air and starting the trek home. He followed after the other, finding himself wishing that his critter friends were here. He missed Beat dearly, but the beat drop button fish was probably fine. He was a little surprised when Trollzart slowed a bit, looking back at him. “Trollex, what sort of instrument do you use?”

He tilted his head slightly. “Um, I don’t, sorta. I use critters.” When the other looked confused, he continued. “See, my music requires a lot of tones and shifts in music. I use a Synthfish, Bass, and beat drop button fish for most of my shows.”

“Oh my… so it really isn’t possible to find a work around for you…” The way Trollzart said that got him curious.

“What do you mean 'a work around'?”

“Well, I asked the others what their usual instruments are as well. Poppy used a cowbell, or a ukulele. Delta has a banjo she prefers, while Barb seems to use the guitar most. Prince D says that he tends to favor a bass, but otherwise sings and beatboxes, as does his brother Cooper.” Trollzart counted on his fingers as he listed off each leader and their preferences. “And I personally love the violin.”

As he ran through each instrument, pulling up a mental image of each, something stood out. “Hey, aren’t those all string instruments?”

“Exactly! I had considered finding a way to make impromptu instruments using odds and ends, but for you… I do not think I am able to make anything to suit your needs…” Trollzart sighed, drooping somewhat in the air as they neared the cliff with the giant woman carved into it.

He put on his brightest smile. “That’s fine, grandpa, thanks for thinking about me, though!” He looked down as they passed the cliffs edge, and began to head towards the house when it came into sight. “I’d just be happy hearing you guys play your music, if you can make the instruments. I can wait to show you guys mine till we get back home!”

He wished he didn’t have to wait that long, he really did, but there wasn’t much option… as they came to the first window in the front of the house, they both took a moment to peer inside. It seemed quiet enough… they flew down, and slipped in through the hole in the front door before making their way back to Steven’s bed.

Trollex looked down at the gold disc he was carrying, and grinned. “I hope he’s allowed to keep this one…!” He set it down gently, right where he normally placed a shell, and zipped down to join Trollzart at the entrance to their hideout. “Come on, I’m feeling a bit dry, let’s go see everyone~.” And so they both slipped inside.

Branch, as usual, was the first to notice they had returned. He stood from his usual spot and made his way over to Trollex’s bowl, which he was thankful for. He zipped forward and dove in, letting out a content sigh as he felt the cool water wash over his dust scales. “Hey Branch! Anything interesting happen down here?”

Branch gestured towards Poppy, Barb, Prince D, and Cooper, who seemed to be in the middle of having a guy’s vs girl’s game of arm wrestling, with Delta keeping score and acting as referee. It seemed pretty heated right now. “You tell me.” Branch sounded as unimpressed with their antics as he usually did.

Trollex snickered. “Fair enough, so the usual.” He looked over towards Trollzart as he came to hover next to the bowl. “We had a lot of fun today, didn’t we grandpa?”

Trollzart nodded, but Branch perked up instantly, looking curiously between the two. “Wait, did you call Trollzart grandpa? What happened while you two were out?”

Trollex hadn’t noticed it, but when Branch brought it up he realized that he had, in fact, called Trollzart grandpa. In fact, he’d been doing it the whole time! He turned nearly red as a cherry, covering his face. “S-Sorry, Trollzart!”

Trollzart almost seemed a bit cross with Branch. “It is no trouble, Trollex. I honestly hadn’t realized until now, but I rather enjoy it!”

As the others slowly joined, and word spread that Trollzart enjoyed being called grandpa, most of the others took him up on it, all with variations on it to suit their way of talking. It was rather funny to see Trollzart beaming with pride over something like this.

He smiled, floating in his bowl as he watched them. He remembered feeling like this before, back when his mom and dad were still around. Maybe… even if only in his private thoughts, this could be like a new family…?


	17. Branch-Steven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has come to notice that the residents of Beach city had started to notice some strange things, past the gems antics anyway. What could possibly be behind it all?
> 
> Branch really needed to stop going out on his own, it seems he always ended up in some trouble!

The day Steven had returned home for the second time after the fight with the gems had been strange to say the least. As he had passed by the Beach Citywalk Fries, Ronaldo had suddenly pulled him aside to try to convince him of the existence of small golden fairies and tiny glowing mermaids. He was used to humoring Ronaldo, but he wasn’t sure how much he could believe in this tale.

Afterwards, Sadie had asked him if he’d left a flower on her stereo at work, but he knew he hadn’t. Was the mysterious gift giver expanding their domain? Once he’d gotten home, he’d seen the game token on the bedside table, and had decided to keep it with him for luck.

Even Onion had been acting strange! He had been trying to break into Steven’s house more often lately, to the point Garnet had started stepping in to keep him out. She seemed calmer whenever she guessed right that Onion was about to show up.

Taking all that into account, he shouldn’t have been surprised at how today had gone so far. It started off with a normal mission. Trek into the desert and find the Desert Glass, a gem relic that was used to build towering structures out of the difficult to work sand.

Of course, that was then. Now, it just builds up aimless staircases and buildings with no purpose. It had taken the gems a while to find it, and when they did, they allowed Steven time to rest. He was used to heat, yes, but a desert was a WHOLE other ball game.

As he had taken his time to cool off, he had found, of all things, a pink lion! When the lion showed no signs of wanting to eat him, he had made his decision to name him Lion. Steven, at first, had been heart broken when the gems refused to let Steven bring his new friend home, but he had to admit… a Lion might not be the best thing to bring through the warp.

He had been surprised when Lion had shown up later that day, but Steven realized rather quickly that Lion was after the Desert glass despite all of the bonding Steven thought they’d done. In his frustration, Steven had run out onto the beach and thrown the gem artifact as far as he could, which unfortunately was on the beach, where it began to form up again.

When the gems began trying to get the artifact back, they quickly realized that it had adapted to their fighting style last time, and was blocking them at every turn. Unfortunately Steven had been caught within the artifacts range, and was pulled into the sandstorm it kicked up. That’s when Lion had swooped in and saved him!

With abilities very un-lion-like, Lion was able to help Steven to the Desert glass, finally containing it once again. With it now bubbled and safely in the temple, Lion and Steven were excused from the beach while the gems worked to clean up.

Steven sighed as he stepped through the door, thoroughly exhausted after a long day with two missions, even if he’d been the cause of the second. “Man Lion, that was crazy! You have super powers!” He held the door open for Lion, who stepped inside and let out a mighty yawn.

“So, what should we do now, buddy? Should we take a ‘cat’ nap?” He laughed at his own joke. “Hah! Cat nap… Oh Steven, you’re so funny!” He felt a pang of loneliness, and found himself hugging Lion, burying his face into his mane.

When Lion suddenly leapt forward, Steven ended up falling on his face from the force of the lunge. When he picked himself back up, he could see Lion staring intently at the rafters above them, his tail swishing. He was definitely hunting something! “What did you see, Lion?”

He couldn’t see anything up there, but he knew that cats had great vision. He could only imagine how strong that was in a lion!

Suddenly, Lion leapt up to the second floor and into his bedroom, letting out a roar as he did. Steven scrambled after him, trying his best to follow. Once he got to the top, he found Lion leaping off of his bead, and trying to clamber onto the rafters. “No, bad Lion! Get down from there!” He grabbed Lion’s tail in an attempt to coax the giant jungle cat down.

As Lion finally allowed himself to fall, Steven was sure he’d heard a yell. It was small, but… he knew he heard it! He looked at Lion. “Did you just yell?” When Lion looked back towards him, he sighed. “Right, of course not… then who…?”

He let out a yell of his own as he was knocked off of the bed as Lion lunged at something, this time on the floor! Whatever it was, Steven was sure that Lion had cornered it this time! He ran forward to see what it was, and what he saw had him very, very confused.

It was a small thing, about the size of his action figures, which was trying it’s best to escape from between Lion’s paws. He had no clue if Lion planned on eating it or not, but there was no WAY he was letting that happen! He pushed Lion’s face away from the small creature, and knelt down. “Hi there, I’m Steven! This is Lion, don’t worry, we won’t hurt you!”

Steven was a little shocked when the small creature suddenly fell over. Had it passed out? Well, it was tiny, so he could only imagine just how scary Lion looked from that point of view… With gentle hands, he scooped up the small creature, and carried it downstairs. Maybe a tiny thimble of water would help when it woke up?

……………………………………

He knew he shouldn’t have gone out that day. He had seen the absolutely gigantic pink creature wandering around the house, and he knew it was dangerous, but they needed to get some water to drink. Trollex and Trollzart were too scared of the creature, saying it looked too much like a cat for their liking.

None of the others were as quick or stealthy as he could be, so that left only poor, anxious Branch to fetch something to drink alone. He had gone by the rafters, thinking it safe enough, but when the creature somehow spotted him, he knew he had to get back to safety. He ran back towards the bed, and was knocked off of the rafters by a pounce from the giant cat.

He was lucky as he fell, managing to land on the soft bed before getting tossed onto the floor. It took him a moment from there to recover, but with the beast and Steven now both on the bed, he had no hope to get back without getting seen. He opted for trying for different cover, but soon found himself cornered by the creature, massive paws on either side of him blocking his escape.

He was going to get eaten. He’d been reckless, and now he was done for.  
Suddenly, Steven was there, pushing the creatures face out of the way and speaking directly to him. The words barely registered, but he learned that the giant pink thing that had scared him out of his pants was called Lion.

Unfortunately, he’d reached his mental stress limit and fallen unconscious, the world going fuzzy around the edges before blackness took over.

When next Branch opened his eyes, he found himself in a comfortable pile of fabric, tucked in gently. He let out a groan, rubbing at his head. Maybe it had been a dream…?

“Oh, you’re awake! Hi there, little guy~.” Branch’s eyes snapped open, and he looked up to find Steven standing over him, smiling brightly. “I was worried about you there; I didn’t really know how to check if you were ok…” OK, so not a dream. He had been saved by Steven, but that also meant he’d been caught…

Branch sat up slowly, looking around. “I…” He rubbed at his head. “Um, yeah…. I’m ok…” He couldn’t believe he was actually talking to Steven. That was when suddenly, Steven handed him a small thimble of water. He couldn’t turn it down; after all, running for your life works up quite the thirst.

After taking a sip, he looked up at Steven, who was just… watching him, his eyes practically sparkling. He’d seen that look on Poppy to many times to count… “You want to know what I am, don’t you.”

Steven perked up immediately, looking shocked. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

Branch smiled softly. “I have a…friend… that looks just like you did when she wants to ask a question.” He set the thimble down, and stepped out of the comfortable fabric, which he now realized, was one of Steven’s shirts. “I’m Branch… a Pop troll.”

Steven tilted his head slightly. “Pop troll? What’s that?” Right, so trolls weren’t a part of this world if Steven had no clue. He sighed; he knew he’d need backup for this…

“Hm… Steven, I can’t really explain on my own… can you help me? I need my friends if I’m going to explain anything properly…” He hated putting the other trolls on the spot, but if he was found, the others wouldn’t be far behind anyway… and Steven hadn’t even seemed that surprised. Honestly, the boy seemed more excited than anything.

With a nod and a bright smile, Steven held his hands out for Branch to step onto. “Sure! Come on, where do you need to go?”

Branch stared at the open palms in front of him, biting his lip a bit before he stepped onto them. He was a little surprised to feel how warm Steven was. “Um, to your bedroom… Then just set me down on the floor, and wait on the bed. I’ll get the others to come out.”

Steven was practically bouncing as he carried Branch up the stairs to the bedroom. Branch couldn’t help but admire how much faster travel was for Steven, though that was a given, given this was his world, not one built for Trolls.

As Steven set him down gently on the second floor, he watched as the boy leapt eagerly onto his bed, watching Branch with a grin as bright as Poppy’s. With a resigned sigh, Branch made his way to the hole in the baseboard of the bed, and poked his head in. “Hey, guys? Can you all come out here please?”

That had everyone curious. Delta was the first to reach him, setting her hands on her hips. “Do you need help bringing somethin’ up the stairs, Branch?” She gestured upwards. “You sure that’s safe? Isn’t Steven in his bed?”

Branch gave a nod in the affirmative. “Yeah, he is. That’s why I need you guys to come out…” He sighed, rubbing at his temple. “Steven saw me. Well, really he saved me from that lion we saw earlier… the big pink cat.”

Trollzart gasped softly, having joined the growing group of trolls. “Are you alright, Branch? You were not injured, were you?”

Poppy was suddenly practically on top of Branch, looking him over from head to toe. “Branch! Branch, is it really ok? Are you really ok?” He still wasn’t used to Poppy being so worried about him… though he couldn’t blame her. Both times he’d gone out alone; he’d ended up in some kind of trouble.

Maybe he was just cursed with bad luck? “I’m fine, Poppy! Just…” He stepped out from under the bed. “Steven wants to meet everyone. It’s safe, come on.” He didn’t wait for the others to follow, but by the wet flopping sound, the buzzing, and the clicking, he knew that at the very least Delta, Trollex, and Trollzart were following.

He glanced up, and just as he thought, Steven was hanging over the edge of the bed, watching them come out. The other trolls hadn’t seemed to notice yet though. “Guys, you know Steven, of course.” He gestured upwards, and couldn’t help but find the gasps of shock from both parties a bit funny.

Steven covered his mouth, eyes sparkling down at them. “You’re all so cute! And so tiny, how long have you been living under my bed?”

Branch blushed lightly. If they were honest and told him more than a month, would he be angry? He didn’t have to think of it for much longer as Poppy suddenly piped up beside him. “We’ve been here for so long! Like, almost two months!” Sometimes, he wished he could get Poppy to think before she spoke.

The boy lowered his hand. “That long? Man, it must have been so rough under my bed! Here, I’ll help you guys up, the bed is way softer!” Poppy was the first to leap up onto the proffered hand, grinning as she offered to help Trollex up, who was still too wet for flow. Cooper was next, hopping up and hanging off of one of Steven’s fingers. “Alright, going up!” He brought the first group of trolls up to the bed, and then put his hand back down for the rest.

Trollzart smiled softly. “Thank you, dear boy, but I can get up perfectly fine on my own.” He flitted up to the edge, smiling down at Steven once he had made it over the bed.

Steven grinned up at Trollzart. “Oh, little golden fairy! You’re who Ronaldo saw!” He looked over to Trollex, who was now sitting on the bed. “And you must be the glowing mermaid!” He pulled his hand up, which had Branch, Delta, Prince D, and Barb on it. “Wait, I think I remember seeing you before!”

Trollex’s eyes widened and his ear fins drooped. Branch didn’t miss the expression of realization and fear. “Trollex, what’s he talking about? When did Steven see you?” He and the others leapt off of Steven’s hand as he brought them down to the bed.

The boy smiled brightly. “Your name is Trollex? It’s nice to meet you! I saw you in the ocean the day I talked to Connie; you saved us from that corrupted gem!” Steven looked between Branch and Trollex. “Is that a bad thing?”

Branch groaned loudly. “Trollex why didn’t you tell us?! And why would you try to go after that thing anyway, it must have been gigantic compared to you!” He could tell Trollex didn’t want to answer, but he needed to know what had gone through his head back then!

He suddenly felt a very light tap on his back, and turned to look up at Steven. He wasn’t used to having their presence known yet, so he barely supressed a startled yelp. “Branch, don’t be mad at him, if it wasn’t for him distracting that gem, me and Connie would have been fish food!” He smiled down at Trollex. “So thanks, Trollex!”

The king of techno was practically glowing with a bright red blush, covering his face and letting out the little clicks and chirps he tended to make when flustered. Steven laughed, his smile as bright as Trollex’s glow. “That’s so cute!”

Branch was starting to wonder why they had tried so hard to hide from Steven; he seemed so nice so far. He froze when he heard the sound of the other three approaching, and even Steven seemed nervous. Branch looked up at Steven. “We need to hide. I trust you now, but… I’m not sure about your three friends. We need to hide, before we get found…”

He looked between the eight small trolls on his bed, then towards the door. After a moment of thought, he nodded. “Stay on the bed, and don’t move or talk.” He leapt off the bed and tossed the top edge of the cover over to cover the group, before running off to greet the gems.

The seven trolls hunkered together, but otherwise didn’t move. They couldn’t make out much of the conversation, but they hoped that Steven didn’t give them away…

Branch did his best to listen in, but he couldn’t shift towards the edge without risking giving them away. He looked at Cooper and D, who both seemed to be trying to listen as well. He watched them, but neither seemed to be able to understand the muffled speech either. Their only source of light was Trollex, who had dimmed himself down to nearly nothing, the glow of his heart his brightest part.

It didn’t take much longer for the sound of Steven’s voice to come closer again, and he soon pulled the blanket off of the trolls. He smiled down at them. “The coast is clear, guys! The gems have headed into the temple.”

Barb piped up. “Ey, big guy! You keep calling them gems, is that a nickname for them?”

He perked up a little bit, then looked at Branch. It was then he realized that he’d never introduced the other trolls. “That’s Barb, and don’t worry, she’s got a bigger bark than her bite.” Barb let out an indignant huff. “The rest are Trollex, who you’ve met, Poppy, Delta Dawn, Trollzart, Cooper, and D.” He pointed to each troll as he introduced them.

He smiled at them all. “Well, you already seem to know I’m Steven, and the gems are Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. They’re the Crystal gems, and I’m one to! It’s the name of our group of Superheroes!”

Poppy’s eyes sparkled. “Superheroes? That’s so cool! Tell us more!!”

He was clearly more than happy to share. He began to tell the trolls gathered the story about Steven, how he was half gem, which is what the other three were. He also told them that the people here on Earth were called humans. Branch tilted his head a bit. “Does that mean gems aren’t from earth?”

Steven nodded. “Yup, gems aren’t from earth! At least, not ones like me and the others.” He pulled up his shirt, and tapped the pink gem on his stomach. “I call it magic, but Pearl says it’s more like technology?”

Cooper danced on the bed a bit. “That’s why you sound different!”

D smiled at his brother, and then looked up at the confused Steven. “Trolls all have special abilities. My brother and I are Funk trolls, and we can hear music coming from living things.”

Poppy jumped forward, grabbing onto Steven’s arm with her hair and pulling herself up to perch on his arm. “Pop trolls like Branch and I can use our hair for lots of things!”

Delta stepped forward. “N’ we Country trolls are strong 'nd fast.”

Trollzart gave a small bow. “And as a Classical troll, I am able to fly. As the conductor, I am able to guide others in music.”

Trollex gave a flick of his tail, and darted into the air, catching Steven by surprise. “And we Techno trolls can fly when we’re dry! Plus, we have bubbles that let other trolls breath under water.”

Barb set her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly. “And I’m a Rock troll! We’re tough, and can handle the heat really well!”

Steven looked at them all, clearly in awe. “Wow, that’s all so cool! So you guys are really strong!”

As the group continued to chat, Steven ended up offering to share some mac and cheese with them, which they happily joined him for. Hot food was a lot better than cold, after all!


End file.
